Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Housing: Construction

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what information his Department holds on the (a) targets set in local plans and (b) number of starts there have been for (i) affordable and (ii) all housing in (A) Birmingham, (B) Coventry, (C) Manchester, (D) London, (E) Oxford and (F) Cambridge in the last 12 months.

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what information his Department holds on the (a) targets set in local plans and (b) number of starts there have been for (i) affordable and (ii) all housing in councils led by (A) Conservatives, (B) Liberal Democrats, (C) Labour, (D) Greens and (E) no overall control in the last 12 months.

Lee Rowley: The Department publishes a quarterly release entitled ‘Housing supply: Indicators of New Supply, England’, which includes estimates of new build starts, by local authority, in each financial year and quarter, shown in Live Table 253 and 253a at the following link.The number of affordable housing starts in 2022-23 in each local authority can be found in Live Table 1008S.

Housing: Government Assistance

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to support people who have had to be removed from their homes due to (a) fire and (b) other structural safety concerns.

Lee Rowley: Building owners are legally responsible for making sure their buildings are safe. Should the residents of an unsafe building need to be evacuated, the Government expects building owners to provide suitable alternative accommodation until residents can return home, at the building owner's expense. Local authorities also have a legal duty to provide alternative accommodation to eligible persons in priority need. We will continue to work with local authorities to ensure help is available in those small, but extremely important, number of instances where residents may have to leave their homes for a period.

Cladding Safety Scheme

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to increase participation in the Cladding Safety Scheme.

Lee Rowley: Since the Cladding Safety Scheme fully launched in July, Homes England, who are delivering the scheme, have been carrying out promotional activity. This activity has included site visits, utilising social media platforms, and direct engagement with local authorities and managing agents.

Housing: Construction

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what progress the Government has made on disposal for housebuilding of land owned by (a) the Ministry of Defence, (b) the Department of Health and Social Care, (c) NHS England, (d) the Department for Education and (e) the Department for Transport since 13 November 2023.

Lee Rowley: The Government is working to release public land for new housing, and I agree with my honourable friend on the importance of doing so. By the end of the Public Land for Housing programme(s) (2011-15 and 2015-20) in March 2020 over 60,000 homes had been brought to market on surplus government land disposed of through the programmes. DLUHC meets regularly with government departments to explore opportunities to release land and remains committed to bringing forward sites for development.

Housing Supply

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the (a) number and (b) types of housing available meet local need.

Lee Rowley: The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that local authorities should assess the size, type and tenure of housing required to meet the needs of different groups in the community and reflect this in their planning need.

Affordable Housing

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Affordable Homes Programme 2021 to 2026 on the utilisation of empty homes for social housing.

Lee Rowley: I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 3422 on 30 November 2023.

Housing: Construction

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an estimate of the proportion of new homes built by small and medium sized housebuilders (a) now, (b) in 2010 and (c) in 1997.

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an estimate of the proportion of planning permissions for new homes granted to small and medium sized housebuilders in each year since 1997.

Lee Rowley: The department does not collect data on the market share of new housing supply by size of housebuilder or to the proportion of such builders that receive planning permission for new homes each year. According to the Home Builders Federation, small developers delivered around 40% of new homes in 1988 compared to around 10% in 2020. The Government wishes to support a diverse and competitive housebuilding sector. Therefore, it has established a package of support for SMEs that includes the £1.5 billion Levelling Up Home Building Fund, which provides loans to SMEs to help build around 42,000 homes across the country. The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act will also help SMEs by making the planning process easier to navigate, faster and more predictable.

Neighbourhood Plans

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether neighbourhood forums are required to publish design codes.

Lee Rowley: The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 introduces a requirement for local planning authorities to produce a design code for the whole of their area. While this requirement does not apply to neighbourhood planning forums, provisions in the Act do allow for neighbourhood development plans to include requirements with respect to the design of development, in the same way that new-style local plans can.Furthermore, to support neighbourhood forums to prepare their own design codes, we are supporting Locality to develop bespoke guidance for these groups, drawing on the lessons learned as part of the Department’s design code pathfinder programme.

Homes England: Staff

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many full time equivalent staff work in the self and custom build unit in Homes England.

Lee Rowley: The Self Commissioned Homes Delivery Unit was established within Homes England in 2022, it currently has three full time equivalent employees plus one full time equivalent graduate.

Housing: Leicester East

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department has taken to tackle overcrowding in Leicester East constituency.

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent estimate he has made of available housing in Leicester East constituency; and what steps his Department is taking to increase the supply of affordable housing (a) in Leicester East constituency and (b) nationally.

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department offers (a) financial and (b) other support to (i) local authorities and (ii) housing associations to help (A) mitigate overcrowding and (B) support vulnerable households in Leicester East constituency.

Jacob Young: Data on the availability of new homes is not available at constituency level.Local councils are responsible for allocating housing through local schemes, and as such, are best placed to manage the demand for social housing.Local councils are responsible for considering what constitutes a ‘suitable’ space for a household to live in within our framework for defining overcrowding.We are committed to reducing overcrowding by increasing the supply of affordable housing and enabling councils and other social landlords to make better use of their existing stock.Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes for both rent and to buy right across the country.In Leicester, between 2010 and 2023, 2,800 affordable homes have been delivered.

Empty Property

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to bring empty properties into use that have been vacant (a) for extended periods and (b) for shorter lengths of time.

Lee Rowley: The number of long-term empty homes remains substantially lower than when records began in 2004. As of May 2010, over 300,000 homes in England had been standing empty for longer than 6 months. As of October 2022, the number of long-term empty properties had fallen to 248,633.Local authorities can exercise powers we have provided to them to take over the management of long-term empty homes in order to bring homes back into use in the private rented sector. Local authorities can apply for an Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) when a property has been empty for more than two years, subject to the production of evidence that the property has been causing a nuisance to the community and evidence of community support for their proposal.

Telecommunications: Infrastructure

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will provide guidance to local authorities on the maximum number of telegraph poles that can be erected in local areas per number of households.

Lee Rowley: The Government is aware of ongoing concerns about telegraph pole deployment. DLUHC officials are working with officials at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Housing: Greater London

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had recent discussions with the Mayor of London on housebuilding targets in the Greater London Authority area.

Lee Rowley: The department is looking at the barriers to housing delivery in London and will continue to work closely with the Greater London Authority on this and other areas of shared interest.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Feltham and Heston

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what (a) schemes and (b) grants their Department administers that are open for (i) individuals, (ii) organisations and (iii) other groups in Feltham and Heston constituency to apply for as of 10 January 2024.

Simon Hoare: The department advertises all open grant schemes on the gov.uk ‘Find a Grant’ website: https://www.find-government-grants.service.gov.uk/.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many Afghan refugees previously housed in interim hotel accommodation have been made homeless since leaving that accommodation.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the number of Afghan refugees previously housed in interim hotel accommodation have spent one or more nights sleeping rough since leaving that accommodation.

Felicity Buchan: On the number of Afghan households previously housed in Home Office interim hotel accommodation who have since become homeless, please refer to our response from 20 December 2023 to Question UIN 6726.The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities does not collect data on the number of Afghan households previously housed in Home Office provided interim hotel accommodation who have slept rough since leaving that accommodation.The Department does not regularly publish data on Afghan homelessness.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service: Victoria Tower Gardens

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will erect temporary scaffolding in Victoria Tower Gardens to demonstrate the proposed size of the Holocaust Memorial.

Simon Hoare: Detailed images showing the proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens were considered at the planning inquiry in 2020 and are available on the Westminster City Council website: Inquiry documents | Westminster City Council.

Local Government Finance: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much funding the Government has provided to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council since 2019.

Simon Hoare: Funding figures showing how much funding has been provided to councils via the settlement process can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/core-spending-power-table-provisional-local-government-finance-settlement-2024-to-2025.The department does not hold details of total funding provided to councils by all Government departments.

Homelessness: Mortality Rates

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of his Department's processes for collecting mortality data for homeless people.

Felicity Buchan: My department does not collect mortality data for people experiencing homelessness. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) hold responsibility for vital events statistics (such as births, marriages, and deaths).

Social Rented Housing

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the guidance his Department issues to local authorities on criteria for allocating social housing to people on the housing waiting list.

Jacob Young: Local authorities allocate social housing in line with local housing need. This work is governed by a legal framework set by central government, which is provided to local authorities in statutory guidance. The department keeps this policy under review and any further announcements will be made in the usual way.

Elections: Regulation

Chloe Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Q808 of the oral evidence given by the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology to the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee on 13 December 2023, HC 38, whether he has plans to undertake a review of electoral regulation.

Simon Hoare: The Electoral Commission does not have a role in regulating the use of artificial intelligence in campaigning nor does it have a role in regulating political debate. The AI Regulation White Paper, published in March 2023, set out our first steps towards establishing a regulatory framework for AI. Since then, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology have been setting up central risk assessment and monitoring activities and working with regulators to ensure they are responding to AI risks within their remits.Digitally manipulated content can pose a severe threat to democratic processes, so we take this very seriously. We are working extensively across Government and in the Defending Democracy Taskforce to ensure we are ready to respond to any threats to our democratic processes. The Government keeps the regulatory framework under review and remains committed to ensuring elections are secure and fit for the modern age.

Religious Hatred: Hinduism

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce incidents of Hinduphobia.

Lee Rowley: Hatred towards Hindus is completely abhorrent and has no place in our communities. The Government continues to work with police and community partners to monitor and combat it. In 2023/24, the Home Office is providing £3.5 million for protecting places of worship, including for Hindu temples.

Environment Agency

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the potential merits of (a) providing the Environment Agency (EA) a statutory role in the planning process and (b) placing reports from the EA on a statutory footing.

Lee Rowley: The Environment Agency (EA) is a statutory consultee on all planning applications (other than for minor development) on land in an area within Flood Zone 2, or Flood Zone 3.

Department for Business and Trade

Department for Business and Trade: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many purchases with a value of less than £500 were made against her Department's budget through a Government procurement card from 7 February to 30 June 2023; and what was the total cost of those purchases.

Greg Hands: The former Department for International Trade government procurement spend under £500 between 07 February-30 June 2023 (inclusive) was £115,749.12. The number of transactions was 2177.

Department for Business and Trade: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many purchases with a value of less than £500 were made against the budget of the Department for International Trade through a Government procurement card (a) in calendar year 2022 and (b) from 1 January to 7 February 2023; and what was the total cost of those purchases.

Greg Hands: The former Department for International Trade government procurement spend under £500 for the periods requested is: Time PeriodNumber of transactionsValueCalendar year 20224361£233,872.6701 January-07 February 2023 (inclusive)327£23,188.19

Sub Post Offices: Repayments

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions she has had with the Board of the Post Office Ltd on the amount of money the Post Office reclaimed from sub postmasters affected by the Horizon issues.

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions she has had with the Board of the Post Office Ltd on what the Post Office did with the money it claimed from sub postmasters affected by Horizon issues.

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions she has had with the Board of the Post Office Ltd on whether Post Office managers received bonuses that were based on profits that were higher due to reclaims from sub postmasters affected by Horizon issues.

Kevin Hollinrake: I hold meetings with the Post Office CEO on a monthly basis where we discuss a range of matters related to Horizon.What Post Office Limited (POL) did with the monies claimed from postmasters due to errors in the Horizon system is a complex matter. We will approach POL and write when we have seen what information is available and in what form. However, Postmasters who paid Post Office money due to errors in the Horizon system will be paid this back as part of their compensation.

Horizon IT System: Compensation

Sir Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent estimate she has made of when Mrs Jasvinder Barang will receive compensation in respect of her overturned conviction by the Post Office.

Kevin Hollinrake: Our aim is to ensure that every affected postmaster is fully recompensed for their losses and the suffering they have had to endure as a result of the Horizon scandal. To date, more than £148 million has been paid to 2,700 victims across all compensation schemes, 95 convictions have been overturned and, of those, 30 have agreed full and final settlements. Just over £30 million has been paid out in compensation to those with overturned convictions, including interim payments.I cannot comment on individual claims for reasons of confidentiality.

Retail Trade

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department has an industrial strategy for the retail sector.

Kevin Hollinrake: The industry led Retail Sector Council is the key forum to address significant sector issues and define a strategic future for the retail sector. It aims to accelerate positive change, increase productivity, and ensure it remains robust and sustainable, continuing to provide good jobs and a beneficial service to consumers, communities, the economy.In July 2023 the Council published a discussion paper ‘Retail – The Great Enabler’ exploring the value of and pressures on the sector. The Council is developing a strategic approach for retail that embraces several key areas including sustainability, labour and retail careers, cost of living pressures and impact on supply chains and high street regeneration and investment.

Groceries Code Adjudicator

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Groceries Supply Code of Practice.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Groceries Supply Code of Practice (the Code) was put in place by the Competition Commission (CC) following a market investigation in 2008. The investigation found some unfair practices in the supply of groceries to large retailers had adversely affected competition in the UK. The Competition and Markets Authority is responsible for keeping under review the effectiveness of the Code in addressing the issues identified in the CC market investigation.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many people based (a) in the UK and (b) overseas held government procurement cards to make purchases against his Department’s budget as of (i) 31 December 2022, (ii) 31 March 2023 and (iii) 31 December 2023.

David Rutley: As of 11 January 2024 the data is as follows:Based in the UK = 845Based Overseas = 4,783Government Procurement Cards provide an efficient route to enable key staff to procure goods and services, necessary to the promotion of British interests overseas and the maintenance of our embassies and high commissions. All purchases are subject to authorisation by managers and audit checks.

Armed Conflict: Sexual Offences

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many experts in preventing sexual violence in conflict have been deployed in the field under that Initiative since February 2021.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) Team of Experts (ToE) is a group of independent experts deployed to support UK, international and local efforts to address Conflict Related Sexual Violence (CRSV).Since February 2021, there have been 13 PSVI ToE deployments. For example, in Ukraine, experts are assisting domestic investigations and prosecution of international crimes and supporting the development and implementation of a national CRSV Action Plan. Prior to the 2022 PSVI Conference, experts developed and delivered plans to meaningfully engage survivors. In Ethiopia, experts supported civil society capacity building to strengthen local responses to CRSV.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what estimate he has made of how much UK aid has reached people in the northern Gaza.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: On 3 January, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Ship Lyme Bay delivered 87 tonnes of aid into Port Said. Delivery includes over 10,000 thermal blankets, nearly 5,000 shelter packs and medical supplies to be transferred to Gaza through the Rafah crossing. This is in addition to 74 tonnes of aid previously delivered. We have also supported the United Nations World Food Programme to deliver a new humanitarian land corridor from Jordan into Gaza. 750 metric tons of life-saving food aid arrived in the first delivery in December and a second delivery of 315 tons was made last week.The UK is supporting the Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS), who are leading and coordinating the delivery of all national and international aid to Gaza within its auxiliary role to the Government of Egypt. The ERCS is working with other humanitarian actors, including the UN, to improve the tracking system of aid deliveries for this extremely complicated operation.We have trebled our aid commitment this financial year and are working closely with partners in international agencies and in the region to get aid to where it is desperately needed.

Israel: Gaza

Andy McDonald: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent steps his Department has taken to comply with its duties under Articles I and VIII of the Genocide Convention in the context of the war in Gaza.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: As a party to the Convention, the UK is fully committed to the prevention and punishment of genocide as appropriate under the Convention.In terms of the situation in Gaza, we recognise that Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas, in accordance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL). We do not believe that calling this genocide is the right approach. It is wrong to suggest that Israeli leadership, and Israel as a country, have the intention to commit genocide.Ultimately, it is for the courts to decide on matters of genocide, not for states. We respect the role and independence of the International Court of Justice.

Bangladesh: Elections and Human Rights

Bob Blackman: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he is taking steps together with international partners to help ensure that the Bangladeshi government is held accountable for (a) its human rights record and (b) the conduct of the national election of 8 January 2024.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Bangladesh is a Human Rights Priority Country for the UK. We regularly raise human rights issues with the Government of Bangladesh bilaterally and in concert with our international partners. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, Minister for South Asia, raised human rights with Prime Minister Hasina when they met in October. Respect for human rights, rule of law and due process are essential elements of the democratic process. These standards were not consistently met during the election period. We continue to work with likeminded partners to encourage all political parties to address their differences and find a common way forward in the interests of the people of Bangladesh. The UK government will continue to advocate for democracy with the Government of Bangladesh.

Gaza: Israel

Apsana Begum: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has made a recent estimate of the number of (a) civilians, (b) women and (c) children killed in Gaza since 8 October 2023.

Apsana Begum: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what information his Department holds on the number of Israeli (a) civilians, (b) women and (c) children that have been killed since 7 October 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Any civilian death is a tragedy. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, as of 16 January, at least 24,100 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, of whom about 70% are said to be women and children. We do not have an estimate of what proportion of those killed are civilians. The Government of Israel report that more than 1,300 Israelis, including at least 523 Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers have been killed, with 189 of those deaths in Gaza. We recognise that there must be a reduction in civilian casualties in the conflict; we want to see Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets and avoid harming civilians and destroying homes, and we continue to call for international humanitarian law to be respected and civilians to be protected. The Prime Minister has made this clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu repeatedly and has been in close contact throughout.

Armed Conflict: Sexual Offences

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, when the UK last raised global responses to Conflict-related Sexual Violence in the UN Security Council.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much of the £12.5 million allocated to the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative in November 2022 has been spent; and if he will publish a breakdown by project of this spending.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative has a three-year funding cycle.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) strategy, launched in November 2022, is backed by £12.5 million of funding over three years (2022-25). More than £4 million was spent on PSVI in Financial Year 2022-23. The UK regularly uses our UN Security Council (UNSC) platform to call for an end to Conflict Related Sexual Violence (CSRV). In July, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, chaired an UNSC Open Debate on CRSV, where he drew attention to the implementation gap between international legal architecture on CRSV and realities on the ground.

Gaza: Internally Displaced People

Apsana Begum: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the number of people who have been displaced in Gaza since 8 October 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Obtaining an accurate figure of the total number of displaced in Gaza remains challenging. The UN estimates that 1.9 million people in Gaza, or nearly 85 per cent of the population, are estimated to be internally displaced, including people who have been displaced multiple times, as families are forced to move repeatedly in search of safety.

Bilateral Aid: Women

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much bilateral aid spending went on (a) women’s equality organisations and (b) violence against woman and girls programmes in the last financial year.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The International Women and Girls Strategy commits the FCDO to increase our support for grassroots women's organisations and movements. Official data, sourced from the OECD DAC Creditor Reporting System, indicates that in 2022, £27.6 million of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) supported women's equality organisations and institutions. This could be an underestimation as other sectoral programmes may also provide support to women's equality organisations but are not captured in these figures.Ending violence against women and girls overseas remains a top priority for the Government. In 2022, £75.1 million of UK bilateral ODA was spent on tackling violence against women and girls. This is likely to be an underestimation as some humanitarian and other sectoral programmes also work to prevent and respond to violence, but are not captured in these figures. Data for multilateral ODA spend in 2022, and for bilateral spend in 2023, will be published in due course.

Diplomatic Service: Passports

Sir Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the Written Statement of 9 January 2023 on Diplomatic Passport Policy, HCWS173, if he will list individuals with (a) a diplomatic and (b) an official passport other than members of HM Diplomatic Service and their families.

David Rutley: Diplomatic passports are issued to UK civil servants (and their families) accredited overseas with diplomatic or consular status. Official passports are given to those with administrative and technical status.A limited number of exceptions have been made to issue diplomatic passports to officials travelling on government business for security reasons.Some military personnel have received short-validity official passports or, more rarely, diplomatic passports where these are required to fulfil their functions.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent reports he has received on the availability of aid routes into areas north of Wadi Gaza.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported that between 1 and 11 January, only 21 per cent of planned aid deliveries of food, medicines, water, and other lifesaving supplies to the north of Wadi Gaza have proceeded. The ability of humanitarian partners to respond to the extensive needs in the northern part of Gaza is being curtailed by recurring denials of access. We continue to press Israel to take steps to significantly increase the flow of aid into Gaza including allowing prolonged humanitarian pauses, opening more routes into Gaza and restoring water, fuel and electricity connections.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence on the potential role of the Royal Air Force in delivering aid to Gaza.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Foreign and Defence Secretaries are in regular discussion on the full range of issues related to the conflict in Israel and Gaza, including options for getting more lifesaving aid to Palestinians. This has already resulted in over 160 tonnes of essential humanitarian supplies being delivered using RAF flights and RFA Lyme Bay.

Lebanon: Children and Civilians

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with political leaders in Lebanon on civilian and child casualties in their country since 7 October 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are in close contact with the Lebanese government.   We are urging all sides to avoid further escalation in Lebanon. The situation is fragile and an escalation in violence, including on Lebanon's southern border with Israel, is not in anyone's interests.  The Foreign Secretary spoke to the Lebanese Prime Minister on 28 December and discussed the situation on the Lebanese/Israeli border and the need for full implementation of UNSCR 1701.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Correspondence

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, when his Department plans to respond to the correspondence of 5 December 2023 from the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The FCDO acknowledges receipt of this letter and will be issuing a response shortly.Regarding the issue of British citizens going to fight in the conflict, Section 4 of the Foreign Enlistment Act 1870 makes it an offence for a British subject to enlist in the military of a foreign state at war with another foreign state with which the UK is at peace. However, that prohibition does not extend to enlistment in a foreign government's forces which are engaged in a civil war or are combating terrorism or internal uprisings. The Occupied Palestinian Territories are not currently recognised as a state by the UK. It is the UK government's longstanding position that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and that Israel is an occupying power under that convention. The 1870 Act therefore does not apply in this instance.

Israel and Ukraine: British Nationals Abroad

Patrick Grady: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to his oral contribution of 19 December 2023, Official Report column 1252, what the evidential basis is for his statement that the situations of UK nationals travelling to fight in (a) Ukraine and (b) Israel are not analogous.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Section 4 of the Foreign Enlistment Act 1870 makes it an offence for a British subject to enlist in the military of a foreign state at war with another foreign state with which the UK is at peace. That prohibition does not extend, however, to enlistment in a foreign government's forces which are engaged in a civil war or combating terrorism or internal uprisings. The Occupied Palestinian Territories are not currently recognised as a state by the UK. It is the UK government's longstanding position that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and that Israel is an occupying power under that convention. The 1870 Act therefore does not apply in this instance.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an estimate of the amount and proportion of UK aid sent to Gaza that was not used for its intended purpose by Hamas in the last five years.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: All UK aid undergoes rigorous oversight. Our programmes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories operate with enhanced sensitivity with additional safeguards to protect against any possibility of aid diversion. They include measures to verify and map downstream partners, non-payment of local taxes, and enhanced due-diligence processes. We constantly review the due-diligence assessments in place with all partners involved in delivering aid in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. No funding goes to Hamas and we have no information to indicate that UK aid sent to Gaza over the last five years has been used for unintended purposes.

Russia: Ukraine

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of Russia’s escalating air attacks on Ukraine.

Leo Docherty: Russia's latest bombardment has come at vast cost - and significantly depleted their stockpiles - with limited strategic military effect. We deplore the recent attacks which have resulted in over 90 civilian casualties, including children. We are sending hundreds more air defence missiles to restock highly effective British-developed air defence systems, to protect civilians and infrastructure from Putin's barbaric bombing campaign. On 12 January, the Prime Minister announced £2.5 billion in military support for 2024/25. This includes £200 million to procure and produce thousands of military drones, giving Ukraine cutting edge, battle-tested capabilities to defend their citizens. We also announced a further £18 million in aid for Ukraine, including for humanitarian aid on the frontline and to fortify Ukraine's energy infrastructure against further Russian attacks.

North Korea: Russia

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he has taken to help prevent the supply of Democratic People's Republic of Korea ammunitions to Russia.

Leo Docherty: The UK strongly condemns the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) export and Russia's procurement of DPRK ballistic missiles, and Russia's decision to use DPRK-supplied missiles in recent attacks against Ukraine. The transfer of these weapons increases the suffering of the Ukrainian people, supports Russia's war of aggression, and undermines the global non-proliferation regime. It also violates multiple UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs), which Russia itself voted for, and highlights Putin's desperation and isolation on the global stage. On 12 January, the UK issued a joint statement with other Foreign Ministers calling for all UN Member States to condemn Russia and the DPRK's UNSCR violations. The DPRK is subject to a robust sanctions region, and the UK will continue to work with our partners to influence and to hold the DPRK to account for supporting Russia's illegal war in Ukraine.

Iran: Russia

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he has taken to help prevent the supply of Iranian drones to Russia.

Leo Docherty: The UK strongly condemns Iran's provision of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia, which have been used to kill Ukrainian civilians and attack critical infrastructure. We continue to expose this desperate alliance and hold Iran to account for its support of Russia's illegal war, including by providing evidence at the UN. Since October 2022, we have sanctioned 24 Iranian individuals and entities involved in the manufacture and transfer of UAVs, adding to our existing extensive sanctions on the Iranian drone programme. In December 2023, the new Iran sanctions regime came into force, including new trade restrictions on components used by Iran to manufacture UAVs.

Diplomatic Service: Passports

Sir Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the Written Statement of 9 January 2023 on Diplomatic Passport Policy, HCWS173, what his Department’s policy is on the (a) eligibility for and (b) use of (i) diplomatic and (ii) official passports; and how long such passports last once issued.

David Rutley: Policy remains that diplomatic or official passports (linked to the nature of accreditation), are issued to UK civil servants and qualifying dependants on postings to UK diplomatic missions or consular posts.These passports are normally valid for:Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office staff - 10 years;Other HMG staff - 6 years;Other HMG staff on loan to the FCDO - posting length + 6 months.They should generally be used only to enter and exit the country/countries of accreditation or for duty travel to some countries operating restrictive visa regimes, or where using such a passport would exempt the need for a visa.

Jerusalem: Cultural Heritage

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will (a) make an assessment of the implications for his policies of and (b) introduce sanctions following the attempted takeover of the Cows Garden site of the Armenian Quarter of Old Jerusalem.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is monitoring the situation in the Cow Garden site of the Armenian Quarter of Old Jerusalem and is clear on the need to avoid any further rise in tensions. The UK's position on the status of Jerusalem is clear and long-standing: it should be determined in a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and Jerusalem should ultimately be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states. The UK is a strong supporter of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and an advocate for the integrity of culturally important areas to be respected. The UK continues to take a strong stance against settler violence, and urges Israel to take stronger action to stop settler violence and hold the perpetrators accountable. We keep our sanctions under review and reserve the right to introduce further measures.

Israel: Palestinians

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the statement by United Nations Human Rights in Occupied Palestinian Territory entitled Unlawful killings in Gaza City, published on 20 December 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Government is aware of the report. The UK continues to call for International Humanitarian Law to be respected by Israel in their actions in Gaza and for civilians to be protected. Israel plans to act within IHL and has the ability to do so, but we are also deeply concerned about the impact on the civilian population in Gaza. We regularly review advice about Israel's capability and commitment to IHL. We act consistent with that advice, for example when considering export licenses. Too many civilians have been killed and we want to see Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets and avoid harming civilians and destroying homes.

Gaza: Israel

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination's statement entitled Gaza Strip: States are obliged to prevent crimes against humanity and genocide, published 21 December 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Government is aware of the report. The UK continues to call for International Humanitarian Law to be respected by Israel in their actions in Gaza and for civilians to be protected. Israel plans to act within IHL and has the ability to do so, but we are also deeply concerned about the impact on the civilian population in Gaza. We regularly review advice about Israel's capability and commitment to IHL. We act consistent with that advice, for example when considering export licenses. Too many civilians have been killed and we want to see Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets and avoid harming civilians and destroying homes.

Gaza: Genocide

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) EU and (b) African Union countries on (i) preventing a possible genocide in Gaza and (ii) providing accountability for possible violations of the Genocide Convention in Gaza.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK Government closely follows the security situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and maintains a regular dialogue with international counterparts.We recognise that Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas, in accordance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL). We do not believe that calling this genocide is the right approach. It is wrong to suggest that Israeli leadership, and Israel as a country, have the intention to commit genocide.Ultimately, it is for the courts to decide on matters of genocide, not for states. We respect the role and independence of the International Court of Justice.

Reza Rasaei

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make representations to his counterpart in Iran on the imminent execution of Reza Rasayi.

David Rutley: HMG opposes the death penalty in all circumstances. At the 78th UN General Assembly, we co-sponsored the Iran Human Rights Resolution, calling for Iran to establish a moratorium on executions. We condemn Iran's continued imposition of the death penalty on protesters and have sanctioned 94 Iranian individuals or entities for human rights violations since September 2022. We will continue to pressure Iran on its application of the death penalty.

India: Visits Abroad

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many (a) diplomats and (b) other officials accompanied the Minister of State for Commonwealth and Development Affairs on his visit to the Republic of India to attend Vibrant Gujarat Summit in January 2024.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon attended the Vibrant Gujarat Summit on 9-10 January 2024 to celebrate the close ties between the UK and India through business, culture, and our great links between our peoples. Three officials from the UK accompanied the Minister to India, with support provided by our India-based diplomatic network.

Home Office

Gender Based Violence

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department has taken to tackle (a) violence and (b) intimidation against young women and girls.

Laura Farris: We have made significant progress since we published the Tackling VAWG Strategy in July 2021 and the complementary Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan in March 2022.In the Tackling VAWG Strategy, the government committed to invest £3 million to better understand what works to prevent violence against women – to invest in high quality, evidence-informed prevention projects, including in schools, aiming to educate and inform children and young people about violence against women, healthy relationships and the consequences of abuse.Our Domestic Abuse Act became law in April 2021. This is a landmark piece of legislation which includes important new protections and support for victims. Abusers are no longer be allowed to directly cross-examine their victims in the family and civil courts, and victims have better access to special measures in the courtroom to help prevent intimidation – such as protective screens and giving evidence via video link.To improve the police response to tackling these crimes, we have supported the introduction of a new full-time National Policing Lead for VAWG, DCC Maggie Blyth, and have added violence against women to the Strategic Policing Requirement, meaning it is now set out as a national threat for forces to respond to alongside other threats such as terrorism, serious and organised crime and child sexual abuse.The Government also supported the Protection from Sex-Based Harassment in Public Act 2023, which makes public sexual harassment a specific offence. The Act will come into force as quickly as reasonably possible.

Draft Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to respond to the Fourth Report of Session 2022–23 of the Home Affairs Select Committee entitled Terrorism (Protection of Premises) draft Bill, HC 1359.

Tom Tugendhat: The Government is grateful to the Home Affairs Commitee for the pre-legislative scrutiny undertaken. We remain committed to introducing the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill in this session of Parliament. The Bill which was announced in the King’s Speech on Tuesday 7th November.Ahead of introduction, we will soon launch a public consultation on proposed amendments to the Bill’s Standard Tier, in light of the recommendations from HASC and wider engagement activity. We recognise the Bill must strike the right balance between public protection and avoiding undue burdens on smaller premises.The Government is carefully considering its response to the Home Affairs Select Committee, which will be provided alongside a Government response to the consultation.

Home Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many purchases with a value of less than £500 were made against his Department’s budget using a Government procurement card (a) in calendar year 2022 and (b) from 1 January to 31 October 2023; and what was the total cost of those purchases.

Chris Philp: Internal management information on GPC data for transactions under £500 indicates as follows:01 January 2022 to 31 December 2022Number of Transaction is 16,921Total Expenditure is £1,511,49901 January 2023 to 31 October 2023Number of Transactions is 13,009Total Expenditure is £1,111,945

Defending Democracy Taskforce

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions the Defending Democracy Taskforce met in the last 12 months.

Tom Tugendhat: The Defending Democracy Taskforce is an enduring government function which seeks to protect the democratic integrity of the UK by reducing the threat of foreign interference.The Taskforce is engaging across government and with Parliament, the UK’s intelligence community, the devolved governments, local authorities, the private sector, and civil society on the full range of threats facing our democratic institutions.Over the last 12 months, the Taskforce has met eleven times.

Windrush Compensation Scheme

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 29 April 2021 to Question 183169 on Windrush Compensation Scheme, how many and what proportion of applicants to the Windrush Compensation Scheme have died in the period between applying for and receiving compensation.

Tom Pursglove: As at the end of November 2023, in line with the latest published Transparency data, out of the 7,534 claims received by the Windrush Compensation Scheme, we are aware of 53 claimants* who have unfortunately passed away after having submitted a claim.The Windrush Compensation Scheme staff are working hard to ensure claims are prioritised for claimants with critical or life-limiting illnesses.In the unfortunate circumstances where a claimant has passed away after submitting a compensation claim, before the claim is fully resolved, the team continues to work closely with the appointed representative, usually members of the family, to ensure the compensation payment is made as quickly as possible to the family member.Our priority is to ensure people receive the maximum compensation as quickly as possible. We have reduced the time to allocate a claim for a substantive casework consideration, from 18 months to under 4 months. The 4-month period includes all essential eligibility checks, together with a Preliminary Assessment to make an initial payment of £10k wherever possible.*Please note that this data is manually recorded and is reliant on the person receiving the information on a claimant’s death, notifying the Windrush Compensation Scheme to record this information.

Emergency Services Network

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what was the original completion date for the Emergency Services Network critical communications system; what his planned timetable is for the completion of that project; and what is the (a) original and (b) current cost estimate for that project.

Chris Philp: The Emergency Services Network (ESN) will replace the Airwave communications service currently used by Britain’s emergency services and transform the way they operate.The Programme’s 2021 revised Full Business Case set out the expectation that the transition to ESN would start in 2024 with Airwave shut down by the end of 2026. In 2021 the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation into Motorola’s profits on Airwave and as a result Motorola left the Programme in December 2022. Motorola’s withdrawal from the Programme means this timeline cannot now be achieved. The CMA’s final report in 2023 ruled that Motorola had enjoyed ‘supernormal’ profits and recommended Charge Controls on the Airwave service. This ruling was upheld by the Competition Appeal Tribunal in December 2023.The Home Office is in the process of procuring a new supplier for mobile radio and data services and intends to release a revised Business Case in 2024, which will set out a new timetable and costs, taking into account the impact of procurement activity and the proposed CMA Charge Control. Recent NAO and PAC reports have indicated that Airwave Shutdown by December 2026 is now unlikely to be achieved, but new timescales cannot be confirmed until the procurement is complete. ESN must be ready prior to Airwave shut down and time has been set aside to allow a safe and orderly transition of users.The 2021 Full Business Case estimated the cost of the programme to deliver ESN at £1.6bn, compared with the original estimate of £1.2bn. When combined with the Airwave and Legacy contracts, and the ongoing costs of the replacement ESN service, the total cost of providing critical emergency services communications between 2015/16 and 2036/37 in the July 2021 FBC was estimated at £11.3bn. This assumed Airwave and legacy system costs of approximately £450m annually compared with ESN at around £250m per annum. The Charge Control imposed by the CMA will save the taxpayer in the region of £200m a year for the period 2023 to 202.The Home Office’s priority is to deliver the ESN as swifty and safely as possible and Airwave will only be shut down when it is safe to do so.

Artificial Intelligence: National Security

Chloe Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department (a) has taken on tackling risks from the integration of frontier AI into society since November 2023 and (b) is taking to help ensure the security of elections.

Tom Tugendhat: The Home Office is working at pace to mitigate the risks and take advantage of the potential opportunities from Frontier AI, working closely with cross-cutting AI safety and risk teams in Whitehall. The department worked with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to ensure the PM’s AI Safety Summit was a success, including running side events on fraud and preventing child sexual exploitation. We continue to actively engage technology companies and ensure AI related concerns are worked through in policy areas.The Defending Democracy Taskforce, led by the Security Minister, is also engaging across government and with Parliament, the UK’s intelligence community, the devolved governments, local authorities, the private sector, and civil society on the full range of threats facing our democratic institutions. This includes close working with DSIT on the threats from AI enabled election interference and the development of mitigations. The Joint Election Security & Preparedness Unit (Joint Cabinet Office and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) is leading on mitigating election security risks.

Fraud: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to tackle fraud-related crime in Solihull constituency.

Tom Tugendhat: In May 2023, the Government published the Fraud Strategy which set out a national response to combat the threat.Through the new Online Safety Act and the Online Fraud Charter the Government is working to prevent the British public encountering fraud at source. The Fraud Strategy also committed £100m of investment in law enforcement, and created a new National Fraud Squad, to increase the disruption and prosecution of fraudsters. Furthermore, fraud will be made a priority for local police forces through the Strategic Policing Requirement.Overall, fraud in England and Wales has reduced 13% compared to last year. There has also been a 5% decrease in the number of fraud reports made in the West Midlands, demonstrating progress on the Fraud Strategy’s commitment to protecting the public’s hard-earned money.We will shortly be launching a new national Anti-Fraud campaign, which will further equip the public with the tools they need to spot and take preventative action to avoid fraud.

Immigration: Hong Kong

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to help protect Hong Kong (a) asylum seekers and (b) BNO visa holders who have settled in the UK from the Hong Kong authorities.

Tom Tugendhat: The Government continually assesses potential threats in the UK, and takes protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety very seriously.We will not tolerate any attempts by the authorities of Hong Kong or China, or any other country to intimidate and silence individuals in the UK and overseas. The UK will always defend the universal right to freedom of expression and stand up for those who are targeted.DLUHC, Home Office and FCDO regularly engage with a wide range of British Nationals Overseas (BN(O)) community groups. While it is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on security and intelligence matters, where we identify individuals at heightened risk, we are front footed in deploying protective security guidance and other measures as appropriate.Furthermore, The Defending Democracy Taskforce is reviewing the UK’s approach to transnational repression to ensure we have a robust and joined up response across government and law enforcement.

High Rise Flats: Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that people who (a) live in high-rise buildings and (b) cannot self-evacuate have personal emergency evacuation plans.

Chris Philp: Government consulted on personal emergency evacuation plans, identifying concerns over their practicality, proportionality and safety.A new package of measures to address these concerns was consulted on, and government is currently considering the responses and will publish a response in due course.

Lost Property

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a nationwide scheme for recovering lost property in public places that has been handed in to the police.

Chris Philp: The Government has no plans to establish a nationwide scheme for recovering lost property in public places that has been handed in to the police.

Non-crime Hate Incidents

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an estimate of the number of non-crime hate incidents recorded by police forces for each month since May 2023.

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many non-crime hate incidents have been recorded by each police force in each year of this Parliament.

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many non-crime hate incidents have been recorded for each of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010 by each police force in each year of this Parliament.

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many non-crime hate incidents related to the protected characteristic of gender reassignment have been recorded by each police force in England and Wales in the last five years.

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many non-crime hate incidents related to a different characteristic that is not covered by hate crime legislation have been recorded by each police force in England and Wales in the last five years.

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what definition of gender reassignment is used when recording a non-crime hate incident by the police.

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance his Department provides to police forces to assist front line officers in recording non-crime hate incidents for the protected characteristic of gender reassignment.

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether evidence of the protected characteristic of gender reassignment is required when a victim reports a related non-crime hate incident to the police in order for such an incident to be recorded against the alleged perpetrator.

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many recorded victims of non-crime hate incidents were biological males reporting crimes under the gender reassignment protected characteristic because they identify as trans women in the last five years.

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of the total number of non-crime hate incidents were biological males reporting crimes under the gender reassignment protected characteristic because they identify as trans women in the last five years.

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many non-crime hate incident reports have been logged against women by men who identify as transgender or trans women using the protected characteristic of gender reassignment in the last five years.

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many reports of non-crime hate incidents have been logged under the gender reassignment protected characteristic against women by biological males that identify as transgender woman in the last five years; and if he will make an estimate of how many of those women represent a threat to public safety.

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance his Department provides to police forces on the gender reassignment evidence required for people to be able to legitimately claim a non-crime hate incident due to the fact they have (a) undergone or (b) plan to undergo gender reassignment.

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many reports of non-crime hate incidents have led to (a) arrests, (b) charges and (c) prosecutions for serious crimes related to the non-crime hate incident in the last five years.

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many reports of non-crime hate incidents have led to (a) arrests, (b) charges and (c) prosecutions of biological females after a non-crime hate incident was recorded against them by a biological male that identifies as a trans woman under the gender reassignment protected characteristic in the last five years.

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many non-crime hate incidents have been recorded under the Additional Threshold Test as of 9 January 2023.

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage of non-crime hate incidents recorded under the Additional Threshold Test against biological women have been reported by biological males under the gender reassignment protected characteristic as of 9 January 2023.

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the public purse has been to record and process non-crime hate incidents for each police force in England and Wales this Parliament.

Chris Philp: The Home Office’s Non-Crime Hate Incidents Code of Practice on the Recording and Retention of Personal Data came into effect in June 2023 and applies to police forces across England and Wales. The code includes safeguards better to protect the fundamental right to freedom of expression and stipulates that police should only record NCHIs when it is necessary and proportionate to do so, and not simply because someone is offended. Incidents that are irrational, malicious, or trivial should not be recorded as NCHIs.To address concerns about the recording of personal data, the code introduced an additional threshold to ensure that personal data may only be included in an NCHI record if the event is motivated by intentional hostility or prejudice and where the police judge that there is a real risk of escalation causing significant harm or a criminal offence.The College of Policing publishes operational guidance for the police, known as ‘Authorised Professional Practice’ (APP), on how to deal with different types of crimes and incidents, including NCHIs. The College updated its APP so that it aligns with the Government’s code. The College is responsible for determining police training requirements, and has developed an e-briefing pack on NCHIs which is available to forces.The code specifically covers characteristics that are protected under hate crime legislation in England and Wales – race, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity and disability. It defines transgender identity or perceived transgender identity by setting out that “references to being transgender include references to being transsexual, or undergoing, proposing to undergo or having undergone a process or part of a process of gender reassignment.” This aligns with the definition set out in section 66(6)(e) of the Sentencing Act 2020.The Home Office does not collect data from forces on the number of NCHIs recorded by the police, nor do we collect data relating to the personal characteristics of those involved in incidents. We similarly do not collect information on police spending relating to the investigation of NCHIs. The data collected from the police balances policy needs and the burden on forces.

Police: Dorset

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what comparative estimate he has made of the number of police officers in Dorset (a) in 2019 and (b) as of 9 January 2023.

Chris Philp: During the Police Uplift Programme, the Home Office published a quarterly update on the number of officers (headcount only) in England and Wales. A monthly breakdown of these data are available, for October 2019 to March 2023, broken down by Police Force Area (PFA), here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-officer-uplift-statistics.More routinely however, the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin is the key measure of the size of the police workforce, These data are collected and published at PFA level, on a bi-annual basis and can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-walesThese data are a snapshot of the workforce as at 31 March and 30 September of each year only.Information on the number of police officers in Dorset as at 31 March each year, from 2007 to 2023, on a full-time equivalent and headcount basis, can be found in the ‘Workforce Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64ba640bef5371000d7af05f/open-data-table-police-workforce-260723.ods.The next release of the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, which covers the number of police officers employed as at 30 September 2023, is scheduled for release at 9:30am on Wednesday 24 January 2024.

Home Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) government procurement cards and (b) travel and expenses cards were held by people to make purchases against his Department’s budget as of (i) 31 December 2022, (ii) 31 March 2023 and (iii) 31 December 2023.

Chris Philp: a. Government Procurement cardsDateNo. of active government procurement cards held31 December 20221,06131 March 20231,03331 December 20231,052 b. Travel and Expense cardsDateNo. of active travel and expense cards held31 December 20222,13031 March 20232,27231 December 20232,577

Asylum: Wakefield

Simon Lightwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people resident in Wakefield constituency are awaiting an outcome for an asylum application as of 10 January 2024.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on applications awaiting an initial decision is published in table Asy_D03 of the ‘Asylum applications, decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’. Please note that this information is not broken down by local authority. The Home Office publishes data on asylum seekers in receipt of support by local authority in table Asy_D11 of the ‘Asylum and resettlement local authority data’ detailed datasets. Information on asylum seekers who are not claiming support is not available by local authority. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of each workbook. Additionally, the data shows a snapshot as at the last day of each quarter, rather than the number of asylum applications awaiting a decision over the entire quarter. The latest data relates to as at 30 September 2023. Data as at 31 December 2023 will be published on 29 February 2024. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Asylum: Wakefield

Simon Lightwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people resident in Wakefield constituency have been awaiting an outcome for an asylum application for longer than (a) six months, (b) nine months and (c) 12 months.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on applications awaiting an initial decision is published in table Asy_D03 of the ‘Asylum applications, decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’. Please note that this information is not broken down by local authority. The Home Office publishes data on asylum seekers in receipt of support by local authority in table Asy_D11 of the ‘Asylum and resettlement local authority data’ detailed datasets. Information on asylum seekers who are not claiming support is not available by local authority. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of each workbook. Additionally, the data shows a snapshot as at the last day of each quarter, rather than the number of asylum applications awaiting a decision over the entire quarter. The latest data relates to as at 30 September 2023. Data as at 31 December 2023 will be published on 29 February 2024. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Visas: British National (Overseas)

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans his Department has to consider mitigating factors such as imprisonment under the National Security Law for Hong Kong citizens applying for British National (Overseas) visas.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to allow Hong Kongers who are being processed as asylum seekers to apply for BNO visas at the same time.

Tom Pursglove: Applicants to the British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) route must have no serious criminal convictions, have not otherwise engaged in behaviour which the UK Government deems not conducive to the public good, or be subject to other general grounds for refusal set out in the Immigration Rules. However, we recognise that every case has its individual circumstances therefore caseworkers have flexibility to ensure that those who have custodial sentences for crimes which are not recognised as such in the UK are not automatically refused on the BN(O) route.In most cases, a person with a pending asylum claim can make an application to the BN(O) route. Recent changes ensure that a person who has been placed on immigration bail due to a pending asylum claim will not have their application to the BN(O) route refused solely for that reason. To make a successful application, applicants will need to meet all the other requirements of the route.

Asylum: Wakefield

Simon Lightwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers resident in (a) Wakefield constituency and (b) Wakefield District are living in hotel contingency accommodation as of 10 January 2024.

Tom Pursglove: Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation is published in table: Asy_D11 here: Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK). Data is published on a quarterly basis.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Pay

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing the bottom pay bands from Agenda for Change pay scales.

Andrew Stephenson: The NHS Staff Council has overall responsibility for the Agenda for Change pay system.

Mental Health Services: Staff

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will publish the number of full time equivalent (a) trainee and (b) qualified psychological wellbeing practitioners employed by NHS provider in each quarter between 2015 and 2023.

Andrew Stephenson: NHS England publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics for England. This data is drawn from the Electronic Staff Record (ESR), the human resources system for the National Health Service. From this data, the attached tables present the number of full-time equivalent staff who have a job role recorded as being either trainee or qualified psychological wellbeing practitioner. Data is presented for each quarter from March 2015 to September 2023 split by the body employing the staff. It is possible that some staff working as psychological wellbeing practitioners may be recorded against other job roles, therefore these figures possibly undercount the total number of staff involved. Differing recording practices may also limit how comparable figures for different trusts are.Trainee qualified psychological wellbeing  (xlsx, 29.7KB)Qualified psychological wellbeing practitioners (xlsx, 37.6KB)

Department of Health and Social Care: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many purchases with a value of less than £500 were made against her Department’s budget using a Government procurement card (a) in calendar year 2022 and (b) from 1 January to 31 October 2023; and what was the total cost of those purchases.

Andrew Stephenson: The total number of transactions under £500 for the 2022 calendar year was 1,323 and the total cost of transactions under £500 was £158,905.The total number of transactions under £500 between the period of January 1st and 31st October 2023 was 1,164 and the total cost of transactions under £500 was £140,695.The total cost of purchases under £500 for January 2022 to 31st October 2023 was £299,600.

World Health Assembly

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to her Department was for officials to attend the fourth meeting of the Working Group on Amendments to the International Health Regulations in July 2023.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Staff

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will publish the number of full time equivalent (a) trainee and (b) qualified cognitive behavioural therapists employed by NHS provider in each quarter between 2015 and 2023.

Andrew Stephenson: NHS England publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics for England. This data is drawn from the Electronic Staff Record, the human resources system for the National Health Service. From this data, the attached tables present the number of full time equivalent staff who have a job role recorded as being either trainee or qualified cognitive behaviour therapists or high intensity therapists. A small number of those with the job role ‘high intensity therapists’ may not be cognitive behavioural therapists. Data is presented for each quarter from March 2015 to September 2023 split by the body employing the staff. It is possible that some staff working as cognitive behavioural therapists may be recorded against other job roles, therefore these figures may undercount the total number of staff involved. Differing recording practices may also limit how comparable figures for different trusts are.Qualified cognitive behavioural therapists (xlsx, 44.4KB)Trainee qualified cognitive behavioural therapists (xlsx, 31.4KB)

Health Services: Migrants

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much revenue the health surcharge for migrants generated in each year from 2018 to 2022 inclusive.

Andrew Stephenson: Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) income data is published annually in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts.Please note that the IHS figure is made up of both Retained Income and Consolidated Funds. The IHS amounts for financial years from 2018 to 2022 inclusive are as follows:- 2017/18: £240,483,000- 2018/19: £297,927,000- 2019/20: £597,677,000- 2020/21: £480,822,000- 2021/22: £1,423,284,000- 2022/23: £1,706,112,000

Physician Associates

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her Department has made of the impact of the introduction of the physician associate role on patient (a) care and (b) outcomes in the NHS.

Andrew Stephenson: Health Education England, now NHS England, has previously explored the value and potential of physician associates (PAs) as members of a multidisciplinary medical team through impact case studies, which are available at the following link:https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/medical-associate-professions/impact-case-studies/physician-associate-role-primary-care-impact-case-studyThere is ongoing work around the integration of medical associate profession roles, which include PAs and also anaesthesia associates and surgical care practitioners, as part of a Career Development Framework to support the overall objectives of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan for these roles.The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan commits to expanding the PA role further whilst upholding the highest levels of patient safety and welfare. NHS England will continue to seek feedback from employers, regulators, royal colleges and professional bodies regarding the PA role and will work to develop and implement any recommendations.

Physician Associates

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to assess the adequacy of the contribution of physician associates to NHS healthcare teams.

Andrew Stephenson: Physician associates (PAs) are already a valued and integral part of the multi-disciplinary healthcare team. United Kingdom and international evidence highlights the contribution of PAs to healthcare teams.One study published by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) in 2019 found that PAs positively contributed to the medical and surgical team, patient experience and flow, and to supporting the clinical teams' workload, and that they have the potential to contribute further with an expansion of their role. The review also found that PAs undertook significant amounts of ward-based clinical administration related to patients’ care and were reported to be safe.Health Education England, now NHS England, and NIHR-funded research undertaken and/or led by Professor Vari Drennan MBE between 2011 and 2020 on the role of PAs in England is renowned evidence in this area and publicly available.As part of its work to implement the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, NHS England will continue to seek feedback from employers, regulators, Royal Colleges and professional bodies regarding the PA role and will work to develop and implement any recommendations.

Physician Associates

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her Department has made of the impact of the introduction of the physician associate role on workforce availability in areas of high patient demand for NHS services.

Andrew Stephenson: NHS England uses evidence and knowledge from bibliographic databases. There is also a significant body of peer-reviewed evidence from the United Kingdom and internationally on physician associates and anaesthesia associates which is available in the public domain. It demonstrates that these roles, appropriately supervised, improve access for patients, help reduce waiting lists and cut the workload for medically qualified staff.

Physician Associates

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent guidance her Department has issued to NHS Trusts on the scope of practice for physician associates; and whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of amending this scope of practice.

Andrew Stephenson: Physician associates (PAs) work within a defined scope of practice and limits of competence, aligned to an established curriculum, under the supervision of a designated senior doctor. Their detailed scope of practice in a given setting is circumscribed by that of the supervising doctor.On 13 December 2023, the department laid draft legislation in both Houses and in the Scottish Parliament that, subject to parliamentary scrutiny, will empower the General Medical Council (GMC) to commence regulation of PAs by the end of 2024.Regulation will provide a standardised framework of governance and assurance for clinical practice and professional conduct and define the capabilities required of newly qualified PAs. PAs will also be required to follow the duties set out in in the GMC’s Good medical practice 2024, including practising only within their competence.Ahead of regulation, the GMC and the Faculty of PAs at the Royal College of Physicians have issued guidance for PAs, supervisors, employers and organisations to help provide a structured and standardised way of using the PA role. NHS England is also working with National Health Service trusts and professional bodies to encourage them to set out how the PA scope of practice and role can further develop after initial qualification.

Physician Associates

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has taken recent steps to undertake research into patient (a) perceptions and (b) satisfaction levels of the standard of care provided by physician associates in the NHS.

Andrew Stephenson: Whilst the Department has not undertaken research in this area, there is evidence in the United Kingdom and internationally that highlights the contribution of physician associates (PAs) to healthcare teams. One study published by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) in 2019 found that PAs positively contributed to the medical and surgical team, patient experience and flow, and to supporting the clinical teams' workload, and that they have the potential to contribute further with an expansion of their role. The review also found that PAs undertook significant amounts of ward-based clinical administration related to patients’ care and were reported to be safe. Research funded by Health Education England, now NHS England, and NIHR, and undertaken and/or led by Professor Vari Drennan MBE between 2011 and 2020 on the role of PAs in England is renowned evidence in this area and publicly available. As part of its work to implement the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, NHS England will continue to seek feedback from employers, regulators, Royal Colleges and professional bodies regarding the PA role and will work to develop and implement any recommendations.

Physician Associates

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent guidance her Department has issued to NHS Trusts on the integration of physician associates into healthcare teams.

Andrew Stephenson: NHS England has worked with royal colleges and the General Medical Council (GMC) to develop appropriate curricula, core capability and career frameworks, standards for continued professional development, assessment and appraisal and supervision guidance for the physician associate (PA) role.NHS England continues to work with partners, including the GMC and medical royal colleges, to ensure that PAs can be effectively trained and integrated into teams across a range of specialties through the ongoing development of national standards, a defined scope of practice, and assessment of educational capacity.

Physician Associates

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps her Department has taken to integrate physician associates into multidisciplinary teams in the NHS; and whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of this process on (a) team dynamics and (b) the delivery of patient care.

Andrew Stephenson: Physician associates (PAs) are already a valued and integral part of the multi-disciplinary healthcare team. The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan commits to expanding the role further whilst upholding the highest levels of patient safety and welfare.On 13 December 2023, the Department laid draft legislation in both Houses and in the Scottish Parliament that will empower the General Medical Council (GMC) to commence regulation of PAs by the end of 2024. Regulation will provide a standardised framework of governance and assurance for clinical practice and professional conduct which will enable PAs to make a greater contribution to clinical teams and patient care. Ahead of regulation, the GMC and the Faculty of PAs at the Royal College of Physicians have issued guidance for supervisors, employers and organisations to help provide a structured and standardised way of using the PA role.Health Education England, now NHS England, has previously explored the value and potential of PAs as members of the multidisciplinary medical team through impact case studies, which are available at the following link:https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/medical-associate-professions/impact-case-studies/physician-associate-role-primary-care-impact-case-studyThere is ongoing work by NHS England to further integrate medical associate profession roles, which include PAs and also anaesthesia associates and surgical care practitioners.NHS England will continue to seek feedback from employers, regulators, royal colleges and professional bodies regarding the PA role and will work to develop and implement any recommendations.

Brain: Tumours

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of clinical trials have been available for brain tumour patients each year since 2020; and whether he has made an estimate of the number of brain tumour patients that have been able to undergo trials during this same period.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department-funded National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN) supports patients, the public and health and care organisations across England to participate in high-quality research. The following table shows the number of brain tumour studies on the NIHR CRN Portfolio in each year since 2020 in England:Year2019/202020/212021/222022/23Number of brain tumour studies* supported by NIHR CRN open to recruitment52556161Number of participants recruited4,1021,1053,3684,317Source: NIHRNote: this includes observational studies and interventional studies, including clinical trials We are not aware that brain tumour patients are routinely being excluded from other types of studies, however, we know that sometimes people are automatically excluded from taking part and this can be for good reasons. When designing research studies, researchers consider inclusion and exclusion criteria carefully to ensure they are not unnecessarily excluding specific groups who would benefit from the outcome of their study. However, we are aware that inclusion/exclusion criteria can disproportionally exclude individuals from specific groups for example older adults or pregnant women. The Health Research Authority (HRA) is developing guidance to improve practices in this area. The improved guidance produced by the HRA will help researchers to consider if these people and any other groups may be unnecessarily excluded and consider putting measures in place to address this.

Tomography

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) CT scanners, (b) MRI scanning machines and (c) linear accelerators for radiotherapy were owned by her Department in the financial year 2021-22; how many and what proportion of the (i) CT scanners, (ii) MRI scanning machines and (iii) linear accelerators for radiotherapy used in the NHS were (A) leased and (B) operated through managed equipment services contracts in the financial year 2021-22; what the average age of the (1) CT scanners, (2) MRI scanning machines and (3) linear accelerators for radiotherapy used in the NHS was in the financial year 2021-22; and with reference to the Answer of 13 July 2022 to Question 31135 on Medical Equipment: Standards, what recent progress integrated care systems have made eliminating the backlog of diagnostic equipment over 10 years old by 2024-25.

Andrew Stephenson: As part of the Government’s commitment to increase diagnostics services, £2.3 billion of funding was awarded to transform diagnostic services over three years. This funding is being used to increase the number of community diagnostic centres (CDCs) up to 160 by March 2025, expanding and protecting elective planned diagnostic services. As of January 2024, there are 150 CDCs currently operational that have delivered over six million additional tests since July 2021.

Sick Leave

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of people are prevented from working due to (a) illness and (b) injury and are also on an NHS waiting list.

Andrew Stephenson: The data is not held in the format requested, as waiting list data does not capture whether someone is unable to work due to their condition.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) plans to link National Health Service waiting times data to other data sources to analyse the relationship between waiting time duration and labour market outcomes in England. Due to dependencies and unknowns, ONS are not able to confirm when the analysis will be available.

Cancer: Drugs

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she is having with pharmaceutical organisations on releasing drugs for clinical trials for the treatment of less survivable cancers.

Andrew Stephenson: In March 2021, the Government published Saving and Improving Lives: The Future of UK Clinical Research Delivery, setting out ambitions to reform clinical research delivery in the United Kingdom. This sets out how we will improve patient access to clinical trials in all areas, including cancer. This, together with the Government response to the O’Shaughnessy review backed by up to £121 million of funding, will help to drive improvements in recruitment to clinical trials and approval processes which lead to quicker study set up. Implementation of our vision for clinical trials brings together stakeholders from across the research system, including industry, and we continue to have regular engagement with industry partners through established forums.The UK’s Cancer Mission, a key element of the Life Sciences Vision, will also bring together industry, academia, and the National Health Service to collaborate and make progress on cancer, including by driving the development and commercialisation of new cancer medicines.

Physician Associates: Training

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what training programmes are available for physician associates in the NHS.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding her Department has provided for the training of physician associates in each region in the 2023-24 financial year.

Andrew Stephenson: Physician associates (PAs) must pass an intensive two-year university course at diploma or masters level to learn clinical knowledge and skills after completing a three-year biomedical or healthcare related degree. They train in both the acute sector and primary care to gain a rounded patient centred clinical experience. There are 36 PA schools across England and currently one PA school delivering the postgraduate degree apprenticeship for PA. Subject to final training numbers and costs, NHS England estimates they will provide approximately £20.5 million for the training of 2,227 physician associates in the 2023/24 financial year broken down as follows: - East of England: £2,252,701;- London: £3,001,033;- Midlands: £2,205,406;- North East and Yorkshire: £2,493,019;- North West: £4,178,322;- South East: £2,804,249; and- South West £1,742,302.

Health: Screening

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing asylum seekers with access to NHS screening programmes.

Andrew Stephenson: Asylum seekers and their dependants are exempt from charges for primary care services. The NHS England Standard Contract Service Condition 13 for screening providers outlines the contractual requirements for equity of access to services, equality, and the avoidance of discrimination.To this end, the NHS England screening service specifications set out that local screening providers should have procedures in place to identify and support people who are considered vulnerable or underserved, including asylum seekers.

Cancer: Screening

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she plans to take to increase levels of take up for cancer screening, in the context of lessons learnt on reaching hard-to-reach groups in the lung cancer screening programme.

Andrew Stephenson: 1,241,038 people have been invited for a lung cancer check, as part of the biggest programme to improve early lung cancer diagnosis in the history of the National Health Service. The Targeted Lung Health Check uses vans parked in supermarkets or sports stadium car parks. Risk assessments are often carried out over the phone.The national targeted lung cancer screening programme will implement a standard IT system that will ensure consistent call and recall so that people are invited regularly.

Cancer: Research

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will formally respond to Cancer Research UK's publication entitled Longer, better lives: A manifesto for cancer research and care, published in November 2023; and if she will make it her policy to accept the recommendations contained in that document.

Andrew Stephenson: The Government welcomes the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) report, Longer, better lives: A manifesto for cancer research and care, which rightly highlights progress made in cancer diagnosis and care. The Department has not made a formal assessment of the recommendations, given the significant amount of work across the cancer programme led by NHS England and supported by the department.Cancer is a Government and National Health Service priority, demonstrated by the commitment to the ambition of diagnosing 75% of cancers at Stages 1 and 2 by 2028. NHS England has implemented interventions to help achieve this ambition, such as non-specific symptom pathways, and will continue to seek new ways to diagnose cancer earlier and save more lives, for example through the NHS-Galleri blood test trial.Furthermore, the Department has invested over £100 million into cancer research in 2021/22 through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). In January 2023, CRUK, the NIHR and the devolved administrations jointly provided funding of £47.5 million to the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre network over the next 5 years. The department is working closely with research partners in all sectors, and the Government's continued commitment to cancer research will help to build on that progress, leading to continued improvements for all cancer patients.

NHS: Pay

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her planned timeline is for the next Pay Review Body process in the NHS.

Andrew Stephenson: The remit letters to formally commence the 2024/25 pay setting rounds for National Health Service staff were published on 20 December 2023 and the department will be submitting written evidence to the Pay Review Bodies (PRBs) in due course. The Secretary of State expects to receive the report from the PRBs with their recommendations in May 2024.

NHS: Staff

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of developing one job evaluation scheme across all NHS professions.

Andrew Stephenson: The national contracts that cover the National Health Service workforce are managed by different collective bargaining structures.The Agenda for Change contract is managed by the NHS Staff Council and is underpinned by the NHS Job Evaluation Scheme. There is no equivalent job evaluation scheme for doctors and dentists’ terms and conditions.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of medicinal cannabis treatments provided by the NHS; and whether she has plans to increase the number of treatments available.

Andrew Stephenson: Licensed cannabis-based medicines are available and funded on the National Health Service, where the safety, quality and clinical and cost effectiveness has been assessed and approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.The Government continues to encourage manufacturers to develop new treatments and invest in research and clinical trials, and offers scientific and research advice from the MHRA and the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

Cancer: Health Services

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a dedicated cancer strategy to work in conjunction with the Major Conditions Strategy.

Andrew Stephenson: On 24 January 2023, the Government announced plans to publish the Major Conditions Strategy, which will focus on tackling the six major conditions groups: cancers, mental ill-health, cardiovascular disease including stroke and diabetes, dementia, chronic respiratory diseases, and musculoskeletal disorders, which together account for approximately 60% of ill-health and early death in England. Addressing cancer together with other major conditions will allow the Department and NHS England to focus on similarities in approach, ensuring care is better centred around the patient.Following the call for evidence for a 10-year cancer plan in 2022, the Department received over 5,000 submissions. These findings will be fed into the development of the Major Conditions Strategy.

Physician Associates

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance her Department issues to GP surgeries on (a) the scope of practice and (b) supervision protocols for employed physician associates; and whether she has made an assessment of the quality of different working arrangements for physician associates in GP surgeries across England.

Andrea Leadsom: Physician associates (PA) and anaesthesia associates (AA) play an important role in multidisciplinary teams and complement the work of doctors. On 13 December 2023, the Department laid draft legislation in both Houses and in the Scottish Parliament that will empower the General Medical Council (GMC) to commence regulation for the two roles by the end of 2024.Regulation will provide a standardised framework of governance and assurance for clinical practice and professional conduct, to enable these roles to make a greater contribution to patient care. Ahead of regulation, the GMC has published advice for PAs, AAs and doctors who supervise them.The Faculty of Physician Associates (PFAs) and the Royal College of Anaesthetists have developed guidance setting out the processes and considerations required for employers and supervisors of PAs and AAs respectively. In addition, NHS England has produced patient-facing materials that have been shared widely with general practices (GPs) to support patient awareness and understanding of the PA role.PAs work within a defined scope of practice and limits of competence. The FPA provides professional support to PAs across the United Kingdom and review and set standards for the education and training of PAs.The FPA will be able to give further information on scope of practice and supervision requirements.NHS England has committed to a review of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS). This work will cover the performance of the scheme to date and inform the Government’s approach to any future support for additional clinical roles in general practice.In addition, the Department has funded, via the National Institute of Health and Care Research a project to look at the impact of non-GP staff in practices on patient care.

Prime Minister: Correspondence

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Prime Minister's answer of 27 November 2023 to Question 3132 on Prime Minister: Correspondence, when she plans to respond to the correspondence from an East Londonderry constituent of 16 June 2023 on water fluoridation policy that was re-delivered to the Prime Minister's parliamentary office in-person by the hon. Member for East Londonderry on 29 November 2023.

Andrea Leadsom: I replied to the hon. Member on 16 January 2024. With apologies, this case was delayed as part of our continued backlog of cases following the pandemic and we are currently working through an urgent recovery plan to resolve this.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the harm caused by alcohol use; and what steps she taking to address that harm.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to increase awareness of (a) alcohol harm and (b) support services for alcohol abuse.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department is aware of and continues to act to reduce levels of harm caused by alcohol use. The Department continues to promote the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ Low Risk Drinking Guidelines in England through online platforms, and local authorities continue to promote them as part of their public health duties. This provides the public with the most up-to-date scientific information to help people make informed decisions about their own drinking, including the health harms of alcohol consumption. The Government has also published guidance and worked with the alcohol industry to ensure that alcohol labels reflect these guidelines for drinks produced after September 2019. This ensures consumers have the best available information at the point of purchase or consumption.The Government takes a wide-ranging approach to addressing alcohol-related harms, including the establishment of alcohol care teams in the 25% acute hospitals in England with the greatest need through the NHS Long Term Plan, and improvements to the alcohol and drug treatment system through the 10-year Drug Strategy.Although the primary focus of the strategy is drugs, implementation of the strategy is also benefitting people seeking alcohol treatment, through mechanisms such as new commissioning standards and plans to build back the drug and alcohol treatment workforce. £532 million of additional funding is being invested in local authority commissioned substance misuse treatment services in England between 2022/23 and 2024/25, to increase the number of people in substance misuse treatment by 54,500 over this period.The Department launched its drug and alcohol treatment press partnership campaign on 18 January 2024. The content in the campaign will aim to build awareness of the effectiveness of drug and alcohol treatment, how it can help and how to access it. The Press Partnership is a programme run by the Department which works with over 350 national, regional, local and multicultural print newspapers, with a reach of over 34% of adults in England, or 17.7 million.

Alcoholic Drinks: Taxation

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will have discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the introduction of a hypothecated alcohol tax.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department of Health and Social Care regularly engages with HM Treasury on issues of taxation in relation to public health. The Government has already delivered on its commitment to review the outdated and complex alcohol duty system and introduced the biggest reform of alcohol duties for 140 years. As of 1 August 2023, all alcohol is now taxed by strength, putting public health at the heart of alcohol duty. This is helping to target problem drinking by taxing products associated with alcohol-related harm at a higher rate of duty.

Health: Leicester East

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she plans to take to help reduce health inequalities in Leicester East constituency.

Andrea Leadsom: In January 2023, we announced our plan to publish the Major Conditions Strategy which will emphasise the importance of working with local areas to address regional disparities in health outcomes and support the levelling up mission to narrow the gap in healthy life expectancy by 2030.This strategy will explore how we can tackle the key drivers of ill-health in England to improve healthy life expectancy, as well as reduce pressure on the National Health Service and reduce ill-health related labour market inactivity. Our approach will continue to focus on supporting people to live healthier lives, helping the NHS and social care to provide the best treatment and care for patients and tackling health disparities through national and system interventions such as the NHS’s Core20PLUS5 programme.

Dentistry: Training

Chloe Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 130 of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, if she will ensure that allocations of undergraduate dental training places in 2028 and 2031 are allocated to areas where levels of demand for NHS dentistry services are greatest.

Andrea Leadsom: We are establishing a governance structure to work with the Office for Students and key stakeholders to develop a methodology for allocating dental undergraduate student expansion, focussing on areas that have dental workforce challenges and aligning the methodology principles to that being developed for medical expansion.

Alcoholic Drinks: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data her Department holds on levels of alcohol use by people aged under 18.

Andrea Leadsom: NHS England holds several data sources covering alcohol use for people aged under 18, including the Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People (SDD) survey. From the SDD, 40% of secondary school pupils in years 7 to 11, mostly aged between 11 and 15 years old, in England had “ever had an alcoholic drink” in 2021.The following table shows data from the SDD from 2021 on when pupils last drank alcohol:When last drank alcoholPercentage* (%)During the last week9One to four weeks ago11One to six months ago11More than six months ago8Never had an alcoholic drink60Total100Source: NHS England, Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people, England, 2021Notes: Figures do not sum to 100 due to rounding

Chlamydia: Young People

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of focussing opportunistic chlamydia screening only on young women on diagnosis levels since 2021.

Andrea Leadsom: The trend in chlamydia diagnoses is affected by multiple factors. The UK Health Security Agency routinely monitors chlamydia testing and diagnoses through sexually transmitted infection surveillance datasets. In 2022, there were 68,882 chlamydia diagnoses among females aged between 15 and 24 years old, a 22% increase compared to the 2021 figure of 56,562. There were 37,404 diagnoses in males aged between 15 and 24 years old in 2022, a 28% increase compared to the 2021 figure of 29,317.

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust and Pharmacy

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the extent to which the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust is fulfilling its duties under the NHS Constitution for England; and whether NHS Trusts are required to ensure the provision of out of hours pharmacy services.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department does not assess foundation trusts in fulfilling their duty to have regard to the NHS Constitution. NHS foundation trusts do not have responsibility for community pharmacy service provisions, as integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning community pharmacy.

Chlamydia: Screening

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much has been spent on the national chlamydia screening programme in each year since 2015.

Andrea Leadsom: Local authorities are responsible for commissioning chlamydia screening for their local population as part of their public health responsibilities, funded by the Public Health Grant. The Department publishes annual reports on local authority public health spending.The following table shows the spend on sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and treatment via the Public Health Grant, including chlamydia, between 2015/16 and 2021/22:Financial YearSTI testing and treatment (cash prices), £STI testing and treatment (real prices), £ 2015/16369,375447,9502016/17374,241443,7552017/18363,757424,6722018/19339,111387,7242019/20324,400362,3492020/21308,204326,4772021/22326,564348,785Source: Office for Health Improvement and Disparities

Alcoholic Drinks: Sales

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to reduce the alcohol content in drinks on sale in retail settings.

Andrea Leadsom: As set out in the 2019 publication, Advancing our Heath: Prevention in the 2020s, the Department is working with industry to deliver a significant increase in the availability of no- and low-alcohol products. Current guidance for the use of low-alcohol descriptors, published by the Department in 2018, sets out that “alcohol-free” products should have an alcohol by volume (ABV) content of no more than 0.05% and “low-alcohol” products should have an ABV of no more than 1.2%.In support of the commitment to increase the availability of these products across retail and hospitality settings, the Government published a consultation on updating this guidance in September 2023. A response will be published in due course.The Government has also delivered on its commitment to review the outdated and complex alcohol duty system and introduced the biggest reform of alcohol duties in 140 years. As of 1 August 2023, all alcohol is now taxed by strength. This is helping to target problem drinking by taxing products associated with higher alcohol-related harm at a higher rate of duty.The new system incentivises the production and consumption of lower strength products by introducing a reduced rate of duty for products of a lower ABV. Additionally, all draught products below 8.5 per cent ABV sold in containers of 20 litres or more now receive a reduced rate of duty, incentivising consumption of lower strength products in pubs.

Integrated Care Boards: Pharmacy

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of promoting further engagement between pharmacists and integrated care boards.

Andrea Leadsom: Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory duty to have at least one primary care representative on their board who in turn has a duty to represent all contractors in developing plans for meeting the health needs of the population, managing the National Health Service budget and arranging for the provision of health services in a geographical area.All ICBs have taken on delegated responsibility from NHS England for the commissioning of pharmaceutical services enabling ICBs to better integrate community pharmacy into the NHS in their area.

Ophthalmic Services

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to (a) reduce waiting times and (b) improve patient outcomes in NHS opthamology services.

Andrea Leadsom: We are taking action to recover elective services, including ophthalmology, by working towards the targets set out in the Elective Recovery Plan and providing the National Health Service with record levels of staffing and funding. We plan to transform the way the NHS provides elective care by increasing activity, including through dedicated and protected surgical hubs, focusing on providing high volume low complexity surgery as recommended by the Royal College of Surgeons of England. These hubs will initially focus on driving improvement in six high volume specialties, one of these being ophthalmology.Most recent published data from NHS England shows the average wait time for referral to treatment for ophthalmology was 11.7 weeks, below the national average of 14.4 weeks.NHS England is currently considering how eye care services should be commissioned to ensure future sustainability. This includes looking at how more patients can be triaged and managed in the community, freeing up capacity for those that need face to face specialist care.

Air Pollution: Death

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities data on D01 - Fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution (new method), if she will publish the annual number of deaths attributable to long term exposure to total concentrations of fine particulate matter for each year that data is available.

Maria Caulfield: The estimates for the fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution, measured as PM2.5, are published every year. Data for 2022 will be published later this year. The fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution indicator represents the percentage of annual deaths from all causes in those aged 30 and older attributed to PM2.5.Annual numbers of deaths attributable to particulate air pollution are not calculated each year. The published estimate for England for 2019 was 26,000 to 38,000 deaths for adults aged 30 and over. For the United Kingdom, the published estimate for 2019 was 29,000 to 43,000 deaths for adults aged 30 and over.

Food: Nutrition

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to NHS figures showing a recent increase in hospital admissions for cases of (a) malnutrition and (b) nutritional deficiencies, published in The Guardian on 21 December 2023, what steps her Department is taking to improve access to (i) affordable and (ii) nutritious food.

Andrea Leadsom: Malnutrition is a complex condition, and it is unclear from hospital admissions data what the underlying causes are. Through our Healthy Food Schemes, the Government provides a nutritional safety net to those who need it the most. Healthy Start, Nursery Milk and the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme together help more than three million children.

Social Prescribing: Loneliness

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of social prescribing at reducing levels of loneliness and social isolation.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department recognises the value of social prescribing in tackling loneliness. Since 2018, the Government and its partners have invested over £80 million in tackling loneliness.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport published a report on 4 September 2023, Exploring interventions to tackle loneliness, summarising what interventions work to tackle loneliness and a report exploring the knowledge of professionals working to evaluate loneliness interventions. In this report, it was concluded that more evaluations are needed to determine the effect social prescribing has on loneliness.

Dementia: Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to increase funding for third sector organisations for the delivery of services through Integrated Care Boards for patients with dementia in the community in the context of trends in the level of dementia diagnoses.

Helen Whately: NHS England continues to monitor the monthly dementia diagnosis rate and analyse trends at national, regional and integrated care board (ICB) level.   The latest dementia diagnosis rate reported by NHS Digital for the end of November 2023 was 64.7%, the highest it has been for three years due to sustained recovery efforts.Local authorities are required to provide or arrange services that meet the social care needs of the local population, including carers, under the Care Act 2014.ICBs are responsible for the provision of dementia care services. NHS England expects ICBs to commission services based on local population needs.Many local authorities already utilise third sector partnerships to deliver dementia-related services in their area. It is for individual ICBs to distribute funding at a local level and therefore their decision on whether to increase funding for third sector organisations.

Ambulance Services: Standards

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is her Department is taking to reduce ambulance waiting times in (a) Weaver Vale constituency and (b) the UK.

Helen Whately: Our Delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services aims to reduce Category 2 response times to 30 minutes on average this year. The plan sets out a range of measures to improve urgent and emergency care performance across the patient pathway. To increase capacity and improve ambulance response times, ambulance services are receiving £200 million of additional funding this year. We have already seen significant improvements in ambulance performance this year. Nationally, average Category 2 response times were more than 45 minutes faster in December than the same month last year, despite increases in demand. The North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust, which serves the Weaver Vale constituency, was almost 34 minutes faster this December.

Health Services: Leicester East

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that people's care needs are met in Leicester East constituency.

Helen Whately: It is the responsibility of local authorities within the Leicester East constituency, specifically Leicester City Council, to assess individuals’ care and support needs and, where eligible, for meeting those needs. Where individuals do not meet the eligibility threshold, they can get support from their local authority in making their own arrangements for care services, as set out in the Care Act 2014. To support local authorities, the Government has made available up to £8.1 billion over this financial year and next to support adult social care and discharge. This includes up to £3.2 billion of additional funding over 2023/24 and up to £4.9 billion in 2024/25. This funding will enable local authorities to buy more care packages, help people leave hospital on time, improve workforce recruitment and retention, and reduce waiting times for care. As part of this, Leicester City Council received £6.1 million in new ringfenced social care grant funding in 2023/24. In addition, in March 2023, we provided £27 million of targeted funding to digitise and streamline local authority assessments to better manage waiting lists and support individuals to access the right care at the right time. We have also made a landmark shift in how we hold local authorities to account for their adult social care duties through new Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessments. The CQC will examine how well local authorities deliver their Care Act duties, increasing transparency and accountability, driving improved outcomes for people who draw on care and support.

Hospital Beds: Leicester

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the number of delayed discharges from hospitals in Leicester.

Helen Whately: Leicester City Council has been allocated £2.5 million in 2023/24 as part of the £600 million Discharge Fund for local authorities and integrated care boards.The Department has been working closely with the National Health Service and local authorities to improve data on delayed discharge and ensure every acute hospital has access to a multi-disciplinary care transfer hub. In Leicester, the care transfer hub operates seven days a week and brings together a range of health and social care professionals to support the timely discharge of patients.In September, NHS England published an intermediate care framework for rehabilitation, reablement and recovery following hospital discharge.In Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland a new ward has been developed for patients who would previously have been discharged to a residential home. This has brought a reduction in waiting times in the acute hospital by providing intermediate care through onsite therapy support. Two additional dedicated wards will open in January 2024.

Hospitals: Children and Maternity Services

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has issued recent guidance to integrated care boards on its powers to require hospitals to provide (a) maternity and (b) children's services.

Helen Whately: Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory duty to commission most healthcare services in the National Health Service for their respective populations in line with their other statutory duties and guidance. This means that ICBs are responsible for evaluating the needs of their local population and then planning and arranging the delivery of healthcare services to meet those needs by working with local providers as well as people and communities.

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Recruitment

Geraint Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the (a) average and (b) longest time between application and a start date for recruiting a civil servant was in the last three years; and whether he is taking steps to reduce those times.

John Glen: Civil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010 which outlines the requirements to ensure that Civil Servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition. The Civil Service must also ensure that detailed pre-employment checks (such as appropriate levels of security clearance) are carried out before employment can begin. Information on the average time to hire across departments can be found in the recent National Audit Office report published on ‘Civil service workforce: Recruitment, pay and performance management', found here: https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/civil-service-workforce/ As set out in the Civil Service People Plan published on 10 January 2024, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds, to create a brilliant Civil Service now, and for the future. We must modernise the ways we recruit, speed up and simplify the process and improve the candidate experience without compromising on quality or fairness. We must also continue to expand the use of secondments and other direct entry routes (including the Fast Stream and apprenticeships), ensuring they are properly embedded in the skills and resourcing strategies of all departments and professions. The Cabinet Office is introducing a set of consistent and comparable Civil Service recruitment measures and benchmarks which will be implemented across the Whitehall 17 departments. This will give greater transparency of metrics across the recruitment cycle.

Cabinet Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many government procurement cards were held by people to make purchases against his Department’s budget as of (a) 31 December 2022, (b) 31 March 2023 and (c) 31 December 2023.

Alex Burghart: The number of government procurement cardholders on the dates in question are: 31 December 2022 - 298 cardholders31 March 2023 - 291 cardholders31 December 2023 - 320 cardholders

Paula Vennells

Kate Osborne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who recommended Paula Vennells for an award in the 2019 New Year Honours list.

Alex Burghart: Honours nominations are made in confidence, and there is an expectation that they remain confidential in order to protect the integrity and confidentiality of the honours system.

Artificial Intelligence: Elections

Martyn Day: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that AI generated misinformation and disinformation does not impact elections in the UK.

Martyn Day: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of AI generated misinformation and disinformation on elections in the UK.

Martyn Day: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of AI generated deepfakes on elections in the UK.

Martyn Day: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that AI generated deepfakes do not impact elections in the UK.

Alex Burghart: The Government works continuously to understand, assess and address the risks presented by emerging and critical technologies. To date, the Cabinet Office has drawn on a significant range of analysis to inform Government understanding of the risks associated with Artificial Intelligence and the UK elections; we continue to coordinate with other Lead Government Departments. We keep our assessments of these issues under constant review. For example, in the lead up to the AI Safety Summit, a suite of products was published by the Government to help inform the public and Summit participants of our assessment of the risks and opportunities associated with the use of AI. The risk to the information environment was included within this: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/frontier-ai-capabilities-and-risks-discussion-paper. More broadly, the security of elections is considered a priority task across HMG and touches on work being undertaken by the Defending Democracy Task Force, DSIT and within the National Security Secretariat in Cabinet Office.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Contracts

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department takes to evaluate whether the social value commitments made by contractors have been delivered.

James Cartlidge: Social value commitments, as with any other contractual obligation, are managed and monitored throughout the life of the contract as part of the normal contract management process and practice. To support the introduction of Social Value the Department has a dedicated team providing guidance to ensure sound requirements setting, evaluation of commitments and sampling exercises to review implementation across the procurement life cycle.

AUKUS

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress he has made on cyber capabilities in the AUKUS partnership.

James Cartlidge: AUKUS partners are making good progress on advanced cyber, engaging with critical suppliers and industry partners to uplift the security of our supply chains. At the recent AUKUS Defence Ministerial Meeting in December 2023, partners agreed to work closely to further strengthen our cyber capabilities in order to protect critical communication and operations systems.

Ministry of Defence: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many government procurement cards were held by people to make purchases against his Department’s budget as of (a) 31 December 2022, (b) 31 March 2023 and (c) 31 December 2023.

James Cartlidge: For each of the dates requested, the number of cards held across the Ministry of Defence are as follows:As of DateNumber Held31 December 20229,13431 March 20239.49831 December 20238.844

Apache Helicopters: Guided Weapons

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department plans to make a decision on the potential purchase of Joint-Air-Ground-Missiles for Apache helicopters.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 21 November 2023 to Question 685. Apache Helicopters: Guided Weapons (docx, 25.1KB)

Ajax Vehicles: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department plans to spend on the Ajax programme in 2024.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has been spent on the Ajax programme as of 9 January 2024.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many payments relating to Ajax are scheduled to be made to General Dynamics in 2024.

James Cartlidge: As of 9 January 2024, c. £4 billion has been paid against the General Dynamics Ajax contract. Payments in 2024 will be made in accordance with performance against the payment schedule and milestone plan. I am unable to publish the details of the milestones and payment schedule as this may prejudice the Department’s commercial interests.

Navy: Warships

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) frigates and (b) destroyers the Royal Navy plans to field in (i) 2024, (ii) 2025 and (iii) 2026.

James Cartlidge: While we do not disclose the fine detail of forward availability forecasts to preserve the operational security of the Fleet, the Royal Navy (RN) will continue to have the destroyers and frigates it needs to deliver on its operational commitments until 2026 and beyond.The coming years will see the Royal Navy carefully managing the transition between the current fleet to its new ships, maintaining operational commitments while ensuring value for money as the Type 26 and Type 31 Frigates begin entering service in the second half of this decade. I am committed to looking at the future of the Surface Fleet in the round and making tough but necessary decisions to ensure this transition is a success.

Type 31 Frigates: Costs

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the unit cost of a Type 31 frigate is.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 12 December 2023 to Question 4914.Shipbuilding: Contracts (docx, 25.9KB)

AUKUS

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his Department has made on increasing (a) innovation and (b) information sharing within the AUKUS programme.

James Cartlidge: AUKUS partners continue to progress innovation and information sharing. The AUKUS Innovation Working Group, led by the UK, leverages innovation in critical key areas, including: AUKUS Innovation Challenges; command-and-control Maritime Uncrewed Systems, the adoption of Autonomous Systems at scale; and the establishment of an industry-led AUKUS Defence Investors Network. AUKUS partners have also made significant progress on information sharing: the US National Defense Authorization Act for 2024 included significant reforms to International Trade in Arms (ITAR) and US export controls, to enable increased license-free trade and information-sharing between AUKUS nations. This was informed by extensive UK and Australian engagement and will be critical to the success of AUKUS.

AUKUS

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) full- and (b) part-time officials are working on AUKUS pillar two.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question 191500 to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey).AUKUS (docx, 24.8KB)

AUKUS

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress he has made on artificial intelligence capabilities in the AUKUS partnership.

James Cartlidge: AUKUS partners continue to progress AI and autonomy, focusing efforts on Resilient and Autonomous Artificial Intelligence Technologies (RAAIT) to deliver artificial algorithms and machine learning to enhance force protection, precision targeting, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. In April 2023, the UK hosted a successful first demonstration of Australian, UK and US AI-enabled assets in a collaborative swarm to detect and track military targets in a representative environment in real time, with a further demonstration in South Australia in October 2023.

Merchant Shipping: Crew

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an estimate of the number of merchant seafarer (a) ratings and (b) officers working for external employers other than the Royal Fleet Auxiliary to deliver contracts with his Department.

James Cartlidge: The Royal Fleet Auxiliary has seconded fewer than five external ratings and fewer than five external officers to deliver specialist roles alongside its own employees.

Type 31 Frigates: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether costs have been added to the Type 31 frigate programme since the contract for that programme was signed.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 May 2023 to Question 182505 to the right hon. Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois).Type 31 Frigates (docx, 25.0KB)

Type 45 Destroyers: Guided Weapons

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much the Royal Navy has budgeted for the Sea Viper Evolution programme; and how much and what proportion of that budget has been spent as of 9 January 2023.

James Cartlidge: Sea Viper Evolution is a Ministry of Defence acquisition programme, situated within the Strategic Programmes (Complex Weapons) portfolio. As of 9 January 2024, £107 million of £329 million has been spent.The UK is now firmly part of the tri-national programme which ensures our requirements, work share, and timescales are fully considered as and when the programme moves into the Manufacture Phase.

Type 31 Frigates: Guided Weapons

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much the Royal Navy has budgeted for the integration of the Mk41 VLS into the Royal Navy’s future Type 31 frigates; and how much and what proportion of that budget it has spent as of 9 January 2023.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on the integration of the Mk41 VLS into the Royal Navy’s future Type 31 frigates.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 July 2023 to Question 194355 to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones).Type 31 Frigates: Guided Weapons (docx, 24.9KB)

Type 31 Frigates: Finance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total budget is for the Type 31 frigate programme.

James Cartlidge: An answer cannot be provided as the total budget of the Type 31 programme is commercially sensitive and therefore it would not be appropriate to provide this detail at this time.

Nuclear Power: Infrastructure

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the UK’s nuclear infrastructure.

James Cartlidge: We continue to manage the well documented challenges associated with maintaining the UKs defence nuclear infrastructure. Defence is upgrading or replacing elements of nuclear infrastructure to ensure it remains reliable and safe. This includes investment of £1.4 billion into nuclear facilities and nuclear infrastructure at HMNB Clyde to extend the design life, delivering the modifications and upgrades necessary to receive the Dreadnought Class.

Army: Recruitment

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the target for recruitment of (a) officers and (b) other ranks in the British army was in 2022-23.

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's target was for recruitment of (a) officers and (b) other ranks into the British Army for each of the first three quarters in the 2023-24 financial year.

Dr Andrew Murrison: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 January to Question 7264 from the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (Mr Healey) which shows the Basic Training Starts (BTS) Targets for British Army Other Ranks for financial year 2022-23.Demand targets for BTS are set annually. Quarterly targets are used for internal guidance and they can change in-year in order to meet the annual target.The table below shows those internal targets for the first three quarters of 2023-24: Financial YearOther Ranks Basic Training Starts Targets2023-24 Quarter 11,8902023-24 Quarter 22,7602023-24 Quarter 32,120There are no targets for Officers BTS. Notes/caveats: These figures are for the Regular Army Only and therefore exclude Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service, Mobilised Reserves, Army Reserve and all other Reserves, but includes those personnel that have transferred from GURTAM to UKTAP.Basic Training Start figures only include personnel who entered Phase 1 training.2023-24 Quarter 1 includes figures from 01 April 2023 to 30 June 2023.2023-24 Quarter 2 includes figures from 01 July 2023 to 30 September 2023.2023-24 Quarter 3 includes figures from 01 October 2023 to 31 December 2023Figures have been rounded to 10 for presentational purposes; numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.Totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not appear to be the sum of their parts.Army Recruitment (docx, 28.2KB)

Armed Forces: Recruitment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the challenges within armed forces recruitment.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Defence is firmly focused on responding to the current challenges and trends related to Armed Forces recruitment. Increasing the inflow into Armed Forces recruitment pipelines is a priority which is being actioned through a range of tangible short-term deliverables, all intended to increase the breadth of potential candidates and to drive efficiencies into recruitment systems. We also continue to apply an array of measures to support retention and refine the Armed Forces’ offer. These include financial incentives, flexible service, and an improved accommodation offer. The Haythornthwaite Review has a key part to play and teams have been stood up across Defence to implement all 67 recommendations, working to establish a reward and incentivisation architecture that will attract and retain skills.

Marines and Navy: Recruitment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel were (a) recruited into and (b) left the (i) Royal Navy and (ii) Royal Marines in each year between 2010 and 2014.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The tables below show the numbers of personnel recruited into and leaving the Royal Navy and Royal Marines in the period 2010 to 2014. Regular intake to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2015 12 months to:31-March-201131-March-201231-March-201331-March-1431-March-2015Regular Intake Total25482216276731742933Royal Navy13311464164221442176Royal Marines121775211251030757 Regular outflow from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 201512 months to:31-March-201131-March-201231-March-201331-March-201431-March-2015Regular Outflow Total36284319434837863519Royal Navy26113264301229052629Royal Marines101710551336881890

Type 26 Frigates: Procurement

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish a list of the (a) sea trial and (b) operational start date for each Type 26 frigate.

James Cartlidge: The Initial Operating Capability for the Type 26 Class is forecast to be October 2028. All ships are expected to enter service between 2028 and 2035. To avoid compromising operational security, the Ministry of Defence does not routinely disclose individual out of service dates or specific in-service dates for warships to avoid revealing elements of the Fleet's long-term schedule. However, the Royal Navy continues to ensure that it has sufficient assets available to deliver operational outputs.

Ukraine: Military Aid

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allocating additional funding for military support for Ukraine.

James Heappey: We remain committed to supporting Ukraine’s right to be a sovereign, independent and democratic nation. This is why on 12 January, on his visit to Kyiv, the Prime Minister announced that the UK will provide an additional £2.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine during Financial Year 2024-25, an increase of £200 million on the previous two years.

Navy: Officers

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel in the Royal Navy hold the rank of (a) Vice Admiral, (b) Rear Admiral and (c) Admiral in the latest period for which data is available.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As of 1 April 2023, the figures are requested are as follows: Royal Navy/Royal Marines Officers Admiral/General3Vice-Admiral/Lieutenant General10Rear Admiral/Major General28  These figures are taken from the Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics available at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2023.

Ajax Vehicles: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Ajax vehicles have been (a) manufactured, (b) delivered to the Army and (c) accepted by the Army.

James Cartlidge: 152 Ajax vehicles have been manufactured to date; 44 of these have been delivered to the Army to allow training and experimentation. The latest standard of the vehicle, which forms the deployable capability, has now been accepted by the Department and deliveries are on track to meet the Initial Operating Capability.

Treasury

Treasury: Electronic purchasing card solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many government procurement cards were held by people to make purchases against his Department’s budget as of (a) 31 December 2022, (b) 31 March 2023 and (c) 31 December 2023.

Gareth Davies: HMT is unable to provide this information for the periods in question as this is a constantly changing figure.

Families: Taxation

Dehenna Davison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing taxes for families.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government is committed to keeping taxes low to support individuals and families to keep more of what they earn. This is why the Government has nearly doubled the income tax Personal Allowance since 2010 (30% higher in real terms), ensuring some of the lowest earners do not pay income tax. Thanks to the Personal Allowance, around 30% of individuals do not pay tax. Furthermore, at the Autumn Statement, the Government announced a National Insurance contributions cut for 29 million working people by reducing the main NICs rate from 12% to 10%. This came into effect on 6 January and will result in a £450 annual tax cut for the average worker earning £35,400. The Government keeps all tax policy under review and any decisions on future changes will be taken by the Chancellor in the context of wider public finances.

Lifeboats: Insurance Premium Tax

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Insurance Premium Tax exemption to lifeboat services that operate on inland waterways, lakes and reservoirs.

Bim Afolami: IPT is forecast to raise £8 billion in 2023/24 and this revenue helps to fund vital public services including the NHS and social care.Insurance pricing is a decision which is affected by a wide range of factors, and the taxes that insurers pay are just one part of this. It is hard to predict the impact of an IPT reduction on inland lifeboats pricing because this largely depends on how the insurers react.The government keeps all tax policy under review

Buildings: Insurance Premium Tax

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the income to the public purse from Income Premium Tax on buildings insurance was in each year since 2017.

Bim Afolami: HMRC does not hold the information requested.Insurance Premium Tax returns do not include a breakdown of the tax due on specific products, as this may impose an excessive administrative burden on customers.

Inflation

Mr Rob Roberts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2024 to Question 8220 on Inflation, what specific (a) fiscal and (b) other steps he has taken to help reduce inflation; and what the outcome of each of those steps was.

Bim Afolami: There are four key things the government has done to reduce inflation:Remaining steadfast in our support for the Bank of England as it takes action to return inflation sustainably to the 2% target.Keeping borrowing under control. Borrowing is lower this year and next than it was forecast to be in the Spring.Introducing ambitious supply-side measures to support non-inflationary growth, including delivering full expensing.Boosting labour supply. Labour market conditions are a key problem affecting UK businesses’ growth, as well as a significant driver of domestic inflation. Together, the packages at Autumn Statement and Spring Budget 2023 were the two largest increases to labour supply and potential GDP resulting from policy the OBR has ever scored. The OBR confirms policies in the Autumn Statement reduce inflation next year and do not “have a material impact on the path of inflation” over the scorecard. Inflation has more than halved, but it remains a challenge. The OBR forecasts inflation to return to the 2% target in the first half of 2025 and helping the Bank of England in its fight to do so remains a key focus.

Ministry of Justice

Prison Service: Recruitment

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of people who were rejected for operational support grade roles were subsequently recruited as prison officers in each of the last eight quarters.

Edward Argar: HMPPS recruitment is aligned uses the Civil Service Success Profile Framework which are individually tailored to each role. The Framework moves recruitment away from using a purely competency-based system of assessment and instead introduces a more flexible framework which assesses candidates against a range of elements using a variety of selection methods for the specific role they have applied for. This will give the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, driving up performance and improving diversity and inclusivity. Being unsuccessful for one role does not mean that a candidate will be unsuitable for another, even where it is more senior. All new Prison Officers receive two weeks of initial training in their establishment where officers are given the opportunity to meet their line manager and colleagues, learn about security including the use and management of keys, followed by a further five weeks of dedicated prison officer training where they undertake a variety of subjects including communication and creating a rehabilitative culture. In addition to the core curriculum, new Prison Officers also complete the two-week Use of Force training. Officers then return to their establishments and have one week of consolidation/shadowing. The number and proportion of people who were rejected for operational support grade roles were subsequently recruited as prison officers in each of the last eight quarters is shown in the table below: YearQuarterNumber signing PO contract after being rejected for OSGNumber rejected from OSG applicationPercentageQ12022711940.6%Q22022812620.6%Q320223013262.3%Q420221713551.3%Q12023814230.6%Q22023514550.3%Q32023815170.5%Q42023915550.6%  NotesData has been extracted from the Oleeo recruitment system. Oleeo is a live system so records are subject to change.Figures included in our response only cover data available in our Oleeo system, so any recruitment that is not entirely processed on Oleeo will be incomplete.If a candidate has ever signed a contract for an OSG role, then they are out of scope, even if they have at some point received a rejection from an OSG role.Those who were rejected from OSG at any point since the start of the Oleeo data (Apr 2017) and then signed a contract as a prison officer in Q1 2022, Q2 2022 etc are presented.Note the number rejected from OSG applications is cumulative.Rejections at any point in the OSG application process are in scope for these figures.Withdrawals from OSG applications are out of scope for these figures.Prison officers refer to Band 3 staff and exclude Youth Justice Workers.

Ministry of Justice: Bullying and Harassment

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many settlement payments his Department issued following claims of (a) bullying, (b) harassment and (c) discrimination in the (i) 2021-22, (ii) 2022-23 financial years.

Mike Freer: The information requested in relation to Employment Tribunal settlements could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Data in relation to settlements is not held centrally.

Prison Service: Recruitment

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether (a) prison officers and (b) operational support grades are required to have a face-to-face interview as part of the recruitment process.

Edward Argar: As part of the Online Assessment Centre (OAC), all Prison Officers have an online face-to-face interview. We are, however, supportive of prisons bolstering the recruitment process locally with outreach activity to build awareness, whilst also proactively engaging with candidates before they begin work to help the onboarding process. The recruitment of Operational Support Grades (OSG) involves an in-person interview at the establishment to which the candidate has applied to.

Prisoners on Remand

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people in prison have been held on remand for longer than (a) six months, (b) 12 months and (c) 2 years by offence group.

Edward Argar: Information relating to the time spent on custodial remand is not centrally held by the Ministry of Justice. To obtain the data to answer this question would involve a manual interrogation of court records which would result in a disproportionate cost to the department.

Prisoners: Ethnic Groups

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people of each ethnicity are serving a determinate prison sentence of 20 years or more.

Edward Argar: The data requested are in the tables attached.Table 1 (xlsx, 18.3KB)Table 2 (xlsx, 18.5KB) Total prison population by religion and ethnicity (xlsx, 21.1KB) Total prison population by religion and ethnicity (xlsx, 21.3KB)

Prisoners: Religion

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people of what religion from each ethnic group were in prison on 30 September 2023.

Edward Argar: The data requested are in the tables attached.Table 1 (xlsx, 18.3KB)Table 2 (xlsx, 18.5KB) Total prison population by religion and ethnicity (xlsx, 21.1KB) Total prison population by religion and ethnicity (xlsx, 19.2KB)

Department for Education

Schools: Asylum

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of moving schools more than once within each Key Stage on the (a) short-term and (b) long-term mental wellbeing of asylum-seeking children.

David Johnston: This government knows that regular school attendance is vital for children’s attainment, mental wellbeing and long-term development.The government is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all asylum-seeking children, who can be some of the most vulnerable in our society.The department’s mental health and behaviour guidance supports education staff to identify children in need of extra mental health support.The department currently has no plans to assess the potential impact of moving schools more than once within each key stage on pupils.

Children: Separation

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether a Minister in her Department leads on policy on supporting children through parental separation.

David Johnston: Ministers work closely across government to support children, including those going through parental separation.The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is responsible for private family law, which includes marriage and divorce. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the MoJ responsible for this is Lord Bellamy KC.In my role as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children, Families and Wellbeing at the department, I work closely with Lord Bellamy KC at the MoJ, including through the national Family Justice Board, which we jointly chair.

Schools: Mental Health Services

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's guidance entitled Senior mental health lead training, which schools in North Devon constituency have applied for the senior mental health training grant.

David Johnston: The department began offering schools and colleges a grant to train senior mental health leads in October 2021. A list of schools and colleges receiving a senior mental health lead training grant is published and updated throughout the year. This list is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-data-on-funding-claims-by-institutions. In the 2021/22 financial year, 15 schools and colleges within the North Devon constituency applied for the senior mental health training grant. 8 schools and colleges applied for the grant in the 2022/23 financial year, totalling 23 grant applications to date. There were no grant applications in this constituency for Q1 and Q2 of this financial year (2023/24).

Childcare: Special Educational Needs

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that children with emerging special educational needs and disabilities aged between nine months and two years who will be eligible for 15 hours funded childcare from September 2024 receive support for their additional needs in early years settings.

David Johnston: In the Spring Budget on 15 March 2023, the government announced the expansion of the free childcare entitlements offer so that eligible working parents in England will be able to access 30 free hours of childcare per week, over 38 weeks of the year, from the term after their child turns 9 months old to when they start school. The expanded working parent entitlement (which will be rolled out in phases from April 2024) will be available to working parents who meet the eligibility criteria. A link to the eligibility criteria is available here: https://www.gov.uk/check-eligible-free-childcare-if-youre-working?step-by-step-nav=f517cd57-3c18-4bb9-aa8b-1b907e279bf9. These are the same as the current 30 hours offer for 3 and 4-year-olds.As with the current 30 hours offer for 3- and 4-year-olds, children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) will be eligible for the expanded offer as long as their parent(s) meet the eligibility criteria. Further information can be found at: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/. The department is ensuring a phased implementation of the expansion to the 30 hours offer to allow the market to develop the necessary capacity for all children. The sufficiency of childcare places will also be continuously monitored.The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework states that all early years providers, including those registered with an early years childminder agency, must have arrangements in place to support children with SEND. Early intervention can allow children to thrive, and the department is committed to ensuring the right support can be put in place as soon as it is needed. The department understands the importance of having qualified, trained and experienced people working with children in early years with SEND and emerging Special Educational Needs (SEN). Level 2 and early years educator level 3 qualifications include SEND content, and the department’s is funding training for up to 7,000 early years SEN Coordinators.The SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, published on 2 March 2023 in response to the SEND and AP green paper of March 2022, sets out how an effective single national SEND and AP system will be delivered. Many of the proposals in the improvement plan will have an impact on early years education, including new national standards for identifying and meeting SEND. These new standards aim to make consistent the provision that should be made available across the country for every child and young person with SEND. There will also be new local SEND and AP partnerships, strengthened accountability and dashboards, and funding reforms. The department has already committed to work with local authorities, early years providers and stakeholders to consider whether changes to the SEN Improvement Funds and other associated elements of the wider current early years funding system are needed, to ensure early years SEND funding arrangements are appropriate and well-targeted to both improve outcomes for all pre-school children with SEND, and to support the introduction of a national framework for bands and tariffs. These vital changes are aimed at enabling early years settings to accept children with SEND into their settings, and provide them with the support they need to learn and grow.

Students: Loans

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average student loan debt once graduates reach the threshold for repayment is.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average repayment period for graduates to repay their tuition fee student loans is.

Robert Halfon: As education is a devolved issue, the following answers concern the student finance system in England only. The student finance systems of the devolved administrations differ from that of England.The point at which a borrower becomes liable to begin repaying a student loan is known as the Statutory Repayment Due Date (SRDD); this is normally the start of the tax year (6 April) after graduating or otherwise leaving their course. After the SRDD, borrowers are required to make repayments if their income is above the repayment threshold. The forecast average loan balances of borrowers on their SRDD is published at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england/2022-23.Borrowers starting their studies in the 2023/24 academic year will take out loans under different repayment terms, known as Plan 5, to those starting in the 2022/23 academic year who repay under Plan 2. Loan balances at SRDD for Plan 2 borrowers are higher due to being charged an interest rate above inflation during their studies.The student loan repayment earning thresholds differ between the loan plan types and are published here: https://www.gov.uk/repaying-your-student-loan/what-you-pay.Borrower earnings paths are complex. Some borrowers will have earnings which reach or exceed the repayment threshold for their plan type, others will not; some borrowers will, on multiple occasions, reach or exceed the threshold in one pay period and then fall below it the next. Unemployment, career breaks, parental leave, sick leave, and the undertaking of further study are all common life events that may drop earnings below the repayment threshold for a period of time. The cost of modelling and analysis required to answer the question would breach the disproportionate cost limit.The average repayment period of student finance borrowers in England is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england/2022-23.Borrowers starting their studies in the 2023/24 academic year will take out loans under different repayment terms, known as Plan 5, to those starting in the 2022/23 academic year who repay under Plan 2. Plan 5 borrowers have longer maximum repayment periods of 40 years than Plan 2 borrowers with maximum repayment periods of 30 years. Less than 50% of plan 2 borrowers are expected to fully repay their loans, and so the median repayment period is the plan 2 maximum of 30 years. Many more Plan 5 borrowers are expected to fully repay their loans. The median repayment period for the 2023/24 cohort is forecasted to be 31 years, within the Plan 5 maximum of 40 years.

Local Skills Improvement Plans

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which areas have not developed a Local Skills Improvement Plan as of 11 January 2024.

Robert Halfon: The department is pleased that all 38 Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), covering every area of the country, were published in August 2023. The coming decade will see substantial economic change and, as the economy changes, so will the skills needs of employers. Crucially, this will play out in different ways across the country. That is why the department introduced LSIPs nationwide, to support local innovation and growth so that every part of the country is able to succeed in its own unique way.Each LSIP is published on the relevant ERB’s website, a full list of which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/designated-employer-representative-bodies/notice-of-designated-employer-representative-bodies.

Children and Young People

Edward Timpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the report from Coram entitled, Charter for Children: A Call for Change for the next generation, published December 2023.

Damian Hinds: The department welcomes Coram’s ‘Charter for Children’, and is grateful for Coram’s work supporting children, young people and families. The government is committed to prioritising the needs of children, ensuring that their best interests are at the centre of policy and decision making. Responsibility for the recommendations covers several government departments. The department will consider the Charter’s recommendations as part of the up-coming Spending Review.

Schools: Discipline

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle poor pupil behaviour.

Damian Hinds: Pupil behaviour is a priority for the government. All schools should be calm, safe and supportive environments where all pupils and staff can work in safety and are respected.The department has an ambitious programme of work on improving behaviour in schools which aims to provide clarity and support for school leaders and staff. This includes the recently updated suite of guidance: ‘Behaviour in Schools’, ‘Suspension and Permanent Exclusion’, and ‘Searching, Screening and Confiscation’. These are practical tools to help schools create environments which young people want to attend.New non-statutory guidance will also provide advice to head teachers on how to develop a policy that prohibits the use of mobile phones throughout the school day, to ensure an environment that is conducive to teaching and learning.The National Professional Qualification (NPQ) in Leading Behaviour and Culture is relevant for teachers, leaders and non-teaching staff who want to develop their understanding of contemporary practice and research around promoting and supporting positive behaviour. £184 million has been invested into providing fully funded NPQs for teaching staff across the country to deliver 150,000 NPQs up until the 2023/24 academic year.The department is also investing £10 million through the Behaviour Hubs programme to support schools. 49 lead schools and 10 lead multi-academy trusts work with schools that want and need to turn around their behaviour, alongside a central offer of support and taskforce of advisers. The programme will support up to 700 partner schools during the three years it is scheduled to run.The National Behaviour Survey runs termly to track experiences and perceptions of pupil behaviour in schools. The most recent data available is for the 2021/22 academic year, and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-behaviour-survey-reports.

Grants: Wokingham

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what grants were provided by her Department to (a) Wokingham Borough Council and (b) state-aided schools in Wokingham in the (i) 2022-23 and (ii) 2023-24 financial year; and how much was awarded in each grant.

Damian Hinds: Revenue funding covers ongoing or operational expenses associated with schools. The majority of this is provided on a per pupil basis to support learning and attainment, but it also includes other aspects such as school running costs and salaries.The following revenue grants were allocated to Wokingham Borough Council and/or schools within the council in both the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years: the Dedicated Schools Grant, Pupil Premium, PE and Sports Premium, Coronavirus (COVID-19) Recovery Premium, National Tutoring Programme, Teachers’ Pension Employer Contribution Grant and Universal Infant Free School Meals.Other grants were allocated in specific financial years, to support schools with growing costs and the 2023 teachers’ pay award. These include: the Schools Supplementary Grant (2022/23), Mainstream Schools Additional Grant (2023/24), Teachers’ Pay Additional Grant (2023/24).Wokingham Borough Council’s revenue grant allocations can be found in the separate table provided. The total school revenue funding grants, broken down by individual schools within the local authority, are published annually, in full. For 2022/23, these can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-funding-statistics. The 2023/24 financial year school revenue funding statistics are scheduled to be published in the same format in January 2024.Additional revenue funding is provided for post-16 provisions, such as sixth forms and colleges.The department also allocates capital funding each year to support local authorities to provide sufficient childcare, mainstream and high needs school places, as well as keeping the school buildings that they are responsible for safe and operational. The following capital grants were allocated to Wokingham Borough Council in both the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years: the Basic Need Capital Allocations Grant, High Needs Provision Capital Allocations Grant, Childcare Expansion Capital Grant and School Condition Allocations (SCA).Larger multi-academy trusts and voluntary-aided bodies in Wokingham will also have been allocated SCA funding for the schools for which they are responsible, although allocations typically cut across local authority boundaries. Smaller academy-trusts and voluntary aided bodies will have been invited to bid into the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF), to apply for funding for specific projects. Outcomes for CIF for 2022/23 and 2023/24 can be found on GOV.UK.State-funded schools in Wokingham will also have been allocated funding to spend on their capital priorities or contribute to larger projects through an annual Devolved Formula Capital allocation.In 2022/23, eligible schools and sixth-form colleges also received an allocation from an additional £447 million of capital funding to improve energy efficiency.More information on school condition funding, including allocations for 2022/23 and 2023/24, can be found on GOV.UK.Wokingham Borough Council’s grant allocations for Basic Need, High Needs, Childcare and (for its maintained schools) total SCA for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years can be found in the separate table provided.8643 data table (xlsx, 25.6KB)

Schools: Coronavirus

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of installing high-efficiency particulate absorbing filters in schools to tackle the risk of covid-19 infection.

Damian Hinds: The department has considered the merits of high-efficiency particulate absorbing (HEPA) filter use in schools, as well as recognising how good ventilation helps to create a healthy indoor environment for staff and students.There is strong evidence from laboratory studies of the efficacy of HEPA filtration technology at removing airborne viruses and particulate matter from the air.Departmental officials sit on the working group for a project looking at the implications and potential benefits of fitting primary schools with air cleaning technology: the Bradford classroom air cleaning technology (class-ACT) trial. This was funded by the Department of Health and Social Care and managed through the UK Health Security Agency. The study is run from the Centre for Applied Education Research which is based at the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK. The trial has concluded, and the academic leads intend to publish the results in a peer-reviewed journal in due course.Letting fresh air into indoor spaces can help remove air that contains virus particles which reduces the risk of respiratory illness, as well as improves pupils’ alertness and concentration. Between September 2021 and April 2023, the department delivered over 700,000 CO2 monitors to over 45,000 state-funded settings, including schools. This means that all eligible settings now have an assigned CO2 monitor for every teaching and childcare space to help them manage their ventilation.For settings that identified spaces with sustained high CO2 readings (1500ppm or more) through their monitors, an application process was made available for department-funded air cleaning units (ACUs) that utilise HEPA technology. This policy was informed by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies’ Environmental Modelling Group which advises that ACUs have limited benefit in spaces that are already adequately ventilated and should only be considered where the ventilation is inadequate and cannot be easily improved. The department has subsequently delivered over 9,000 ACUs to over 1,300 settings between January 2022 and April 2023.

Multi-academy Trusts: Accountability

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review the effectiveness of governance structures of Multi-Academy Trusts (MAT) in ensuring adequacy of (a) accountability of MAT leadership and (b) avenues for resolving disagreement from school staff with decisions taken by the MAT leadership.

Damian Hinds: The department sets clear standards and expectations for the governance of multi-academy trusts (MATs) through requirements set by the Academy Trust Handbook, in model articles of association, funding agreements and through the guidance provided by the Governance Handbook. These documents are reviewed regularly to ensure they are up to date.The department requires a high level of accountability and transparency from academy trusts. Academy trusts’ status as companies, charities and public sector bodies means that they are subject to rigorous accountability systems. Trustees must comply with the trust’s charitable objects, with company and charity law, and with their contractual obligations under the trust’s funding agreement with the Secretary of State. The academy trust board has collective accountability and responsibility for the governance of the MAT and in assuring itself that there is compliance with regulatory, contractual, and statutory requirements; this includes providing effective challenge and support to school leaders.The department also published detailed trust quality descriptions as part of the ‘Commissioning high-quality trusts’ guidance in July 2023. These define what trusts are expected to deliver across five key pillars, of which governance and leadership is one. The guidance is the basis for commissioning decisions, including approving the growth of trusts.The description of governance and leadership includes the expectation that the trust’s accounting officer, board and leadership team create a culture of ethical leadership, including the seven principles of public life; trust leadership should involve parents, schools, communities and, where appropriate, dioceses and other religious authorities so that decision making is supported by meaningful engagement.The evidence annex sets out the information the department uses to assess trusts under each pillar. In the case of governance and leadership, qualitative evidence is used within a risk-based approach. Where it is determined that a detailed assessment of the trust’s governance and leadership is appropriate, the department will make a judgement based on the evidence held and/or that provided by the trust, in line with the published guidance.Academy trusts have the freedom to establish their own procedures for staff. Trusts should have the freedom to make these decisions, as they are best placed to understand their local needs, but in doing so, they must take account of relevant legislation and guidance. Advice for boards about establishing these procedures is provided in the department’s guidance on managing staff employment in schools, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/staffing-and-employment-advice-for-schools.Academy trusts must have a policy that details their procedures for addressing staff grievances. Governing boards should be mindful of their obligations under employment law and take into account the ACAS Code of Practice in their approach, which is accessible at: https://www.acas.org.uk/acas-code-of-practice-on-disciplinary-and-grievance-procedures. While this policy may be delegated to individual academies, the trust board remains accountable for all policies across its schools and they should ensure that members of their schools’ workforce are fully aware of the process by which they can seek redress as a result of any disagreement relating to their work at the school.

Children: Neurodiversity

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of giving powers to (a) Ofsted and (b) Regional Schools Commissioners to remove school leaders who have authorised school policies that were known to have a negative impact on the health and wellbeing of (i) neurodiverse and (ii) other pupils.

Damian Hinds: All schools are under legal duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils in their care. In doing so, they must have due regard to the department’s statutory guidance, ‘Keeping children safe in education’. Schools are also legally required to meet the needs of individual pupils, including pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.Where a school has failed to carry out its legal duties, Regional Directors (formerly known as Regional Schools Commissioners), acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education, have powers to intervene to bring about improvements and ensure failings are remedied. These include powers to bring in new management for the school where the necessary improvements are not made. Local authorities also have their own powers to intervene in maintained schools which are failing to keep pupils safe. These powers are set out in the department’s guidance on intervention, ‘Schools causing concern’.Ofsted’s role is to inspect schools. Where Ofsted identifies concerns about schools through inspection, it is for the department as the regulator to consider what action to take.

Schools: Legionnaires' Disease

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department takes when a school does not comply with requirements to report legionella bacteria.

Damian Hinds: The department takes the health and wellbeing of both pupils and staff very seriously. Schools need to be safe, well-maintained, and compliant with all relevant regulations. This is the responsibility of those running our schools, which includes local authorities, academy trusts and voluntary aided school bodies.Guidance on legionella, and the relevant duties of an employer, or a person in control of a premises, is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/health-and-safety. The department works closely with other government departments to ensure that all guidance reflects the latest best practice.The relevant duties of an employer, or a person in control of a premises, are further outlined on Health and Safety Executive’s website, and can be found here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/legionnaires/what-you-must-do.htm.There is no requirement for the department to be informed of each individual case of legionella discovery in schools, or of any subsequent action.

Department for Work and Pensions

National Insurance: Registration

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason his Department has not published statistics on nationality at point of National Insurance number registration of working age benefit recipients since 2020.

Jo Churchill: Following the publication of the annual Nationality at point of National Insurance number registration of DWP working age benefit recipients statistics in August 2021, the Department announced in 2022 that it would be ceasing publication of these statistics. This was due to an assessment that concluded these statistics no longer met the purpose for which they were created. The information contained in the release reflected the nationality status of the benefit claimants at the point of National Insurance number (NINo) registration, which does not necessarily reflect the nationality at the point of claiming the benefit, as the allocation of a NINo can be made many years, or even decades, before an individual claims a benefit. Therefore, claimants who have since obtained British citizenship could still have been counted in those statistics as non-UK nationals.

Universal Credit: Prescriptions

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the policies on strengthening the application of Universal Credit sanctions announced in the Autumn Statement 2023, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact on the health and well-being of people who become ineligible for free prescriptions as a result of having their Universal Credit payments stopped due to a sanction.

Jo Churchill: No assessment is required as there is no change to free prescriptions eligibility as a result of the sanctions measures announced at Autumn Statement 2023. The Autumn Statement 2023 claim closure measures will only impact customers who are entitled to the UC Standard Allowance and where they do not re-engage for a continuous period of six months or more following an open-ended sanction decision. Entitlement to free prescriptions is based on receipt of a monetary award of UC, sanctioned customers in receipt of the UC Standard Allowance only will lose their entitlement to help with health costs at the point that the sanction decision is applied. Therefore, closure of their claim after 6-month will not change this position. This measure will not be applied where the customer receives additional amounts of Universal Credit for childcare, housing, or a disability, or where they have a new, or pre-existing vulnerability which impacts on their ability to look for, or to take up work.

Universal Credit: Gower

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit recipients were subject to deductions in Gower constituency in the last 12 months.

Jo Churchill: There were 3,000 Universal Credit households in the Gower constituency that were subject to a deduction in the period September 2022 to August 2023. Notes:1. Household level figures have been provided as deductions are applied at the household level.2. The number of households has been rounded to the nearest 100.3. Data for September 2022 - August 2023 has been provided in line with the latest available UC Household Statistics.4. Deductions include advance repayments, third party deductions and all other deductions, but exclude sanctions and fraud penalties which are reductions of benefit rather than deductions.5. The figure includes the number of distinct Universal Credit households subject to a deduction in the period September 2022 - August 2023. Any household with deductions in more than one assessment period within the period requested will only be counted once.6. Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.

Poverty

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Prime Minister’s oral contribution at Prime Minister's Questions on 10 January 2024, Official Report, column 297, on what evidential basis he said that the number of people living in poverty has reduced by 1.7 million since 2010.

Jo Churchill: The latest available National statistics on Households Below Average Income covering 2021/22 are here. These statistics show that there were 1.7 million fewer people in absolute low income after housing costs in 2021/22 compared to 2009/10, a 4 percentage-point decrease. This includes 400,000 children, 1 million working age individuals and 200,000 pensioners.

Department for Work and Pensions: Feltham and Heston

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) schemes and (b) grants their Department administers that are open for (i) individuals, (ii) organisations and (iii) other groups in Feltham and Heston constituency to apply for as of 10 January 2024.

Paul Maynard: As of 10 January 2024, the only grant scheme administered directly by the Department that is open for individuals to apply for is Access to Work which aims to support individuals with physical or mental health conditions or disabilities to stay in work. Individuals can apply online or by phone. The Department is not currently administering any grant schemes that are open for organisations and other groups to apply for. Future general grant schemes can be found at Find a Grant.

Department for Work and Pensions: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many purchases with a value of less than £500 were made against his Department’s budget using a Government procurement card (a) in calendar year 2022 and (b) from 1 January to 31 October 2023; and what was the total cost of those purchases.

Paul Maynard: In response to your request please refer to the data below for details of purchases of less than £500 on a physical Government Procurement Card (GPC). a) Total purchases 01/01/2022-31/12/2022 = 1,767 with a value of £194,605.36b) Total purchases 01/01/2023-31/10/2023 = 2,672 with a value of £452,662.48

Department for Work and Pensions: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many government procurement cards were held by people to make purchases against his Department’s budget as of (a) 31 December 2022, (b) 31 March 2023 and (c) 31 December 2023.

Paul Maynard: In response to your request for information of how many government procurement cards were held by people at the three given dates please refer to the data provided below. 31 December 2022 = 245 31 March 2023 = 251 31 December 2023 = 232

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many government procurement cards were held by people to make purchases against her Department’s budget as of (a) 31 March 2023 and (b) 31 December 2023.

Andrew Griffith: Procurement cards assist with the reduction in procurement bureaucracy, boost efficiency, support the Government’s prompt payment initiative for Small and Medium businesses, and help maintain cash flow to suppliers. Procurement cards are used as defined by the departmental procurement acquisition model, agreed by procurement and finance colleagues. Controls are in place that limit purchase types and values in line with individual departmental controls. Procurement cards are held by officials, not Ministers or Special Advisers. The figures for DSIT are as follows: Cardholders as at 31 March 2023 – 186Cardholders as at 31 December 2023 – 215 The figures above include former BEIS cardholders. There have been 11 new DSIT cardholders since July 2023.

Data Protection

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill on the (a) establishment and (b) use of data trusts as (i) institutions and (ii) frameworks to support data sharing.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding for the (a) establishment, (b) maintenance and (c) research of (i) data trusts and (ii) other (A) institutions and (B) frameworks for sharing data.

Julia Lopez: Data intermediaries, including data trusts, have an important role to play in enabling appropriate data use for economic growth, research benefits and societal good. The introduction of the Smart Data clauses in the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill will encourage the development of data intermediaries by enhancing individuals’ ability to access and share their data simply and securely with third parties. Many forms of data intermediary, as well as other institutions and frameworks for sharing data, are operating in the UK. These include government-supported secure data environments such as UK Biobank and data sharing platforms such as the Rail Data Marketplace.

Disinformation

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to tackle online disinformation disseminated by (a) hostile states and (b) people acting on behalf of hostile states.

Saqib Bhatti: The Government takes the issue of information threats to national security very seriously, including disinformation and misinformation.The Online Safety Act, which received Royal Assent in October 2023, has added the Foreign Interference Offence as a priority offence. This will mean that platforms will have a legal duty to take proactive, preventative action to identify and minimise their users’ exposure to state-sponsored disinformation and other types of state-backed influence operations aimed at interfering with UK society. The offence will capture conduct which has been carried out for, on behalf of, or with the intent to benefit, a foreign power.My officials and I also meet regularly with a range of social media platforms and international partners to aid our understanding of the spread of disinformation online and work underway to address this.

Northern Ireland Office

Economic Growth: Northern Ireland

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to help grow Northern Ireland's economy.

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to help grow Northern Ireland's economy.

Mr Steve Baker: The Government is committed to supporting Northern Ireland’s economy. The Northern Ireland Investment Summit in September 2023 welcomed 180 investors, and generous funding packages are creating jobs, developing skills, supporting businesses and attracting FDI, including through the £617m UK Government investment into the four City and Growth Deals in Northern Ireland and the British Business Bank’s £70m Investment Fund. Northern Ireland is now positioned for an era of transformational success with a financial package worth in excess of £3bn to a returning Executive, plus unique arrangements for trade across the UK, the EU and the world, together with a range of government packages of support.

Women: Northern Ireland

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to help ensure the safety of women and girls in Northern Ireland.

Mr Steve Baker: I recently visited the Women’s Aid Federation NI in Belfast, to hear directly about this important issue. It is disappointing that Northern Ireland remains the only part of the UK without a dedicated strategy to tackle violence against women and girls and I note the significant work currently underway in the Executive Office to develop a Strategic Framework to End Violence Against Women and Girls. It is vital that the Northern Ireland Executive is restored to approve and implement this strategy.

Business: Northern Ireland

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to support local businesses in Northern Ireland.

Mr Steve Baker: This Government is committed to supporting SMEs. The British Business Bank’s £70m Investment Fund for Northern Ireland will increase the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for SMEs in Northern Ireland, and £17m of UK Shared Prosperity Funding (UKSPF) is delivering advice, business support and grants for SMEs. This is part of a range of measures in place and I should be glad if the hon Member requested an adjournment debate so that I could answer fully.

Southern Health and Social Care Trust: Cervical Cancer

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had discussions with Health and Social Care Northern Ireland on its response to potential cervical screening errors at the Southern Health and Social Care Trust between January 2008 and October 2021.

Chris Heaton-Harris: I recognise the seriousness of concerns regarding cervical screening services that the honourable member raises. This is a devolved matter and responsibility rests with the Northern Ireland Department of Health.The Government will continue to engage with women’s groups and the Department of Health to ensure that all women in Northern Ireland are receiving the care they need.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has held with the Irish Government on legacy issues.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The UK Government engages regularly with the Irish Government both at ministerial and official level on a range of issues, including legacy. At the most recent British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference on 28 November 2023, Ministers discussed the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act as well as a number of individual legacy cases. Since the Irish Government took the decision on 20 December 2023 to bring an interstate case against the UK Government in Strasbourg in relation to the Legacy Act, I have written to the Tánaiste to express my profound regret regarding this decision. The UK Government will continue to engage on legacy issues and a range of matters that benefit from partnership between our two countries.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many purchases with a value of less than £500 were made against her Department’s budget using a Government procurement card from 7 February to 31 December 2023; and what was the total cost of those purchases.

Graham Stuart: The majority of Government procurement cards remain registered on the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy account and have not yet transitioned to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). The Department is therefore unable to provide information regarding transactions that relate solely to DESNZ for the full timeframe requested. However, the following data is from transactions made from 29th July 2023 onwards and entered onto the DESNZ ledger from 1st September 2023:No. of Transactions (with a value of less than £500): 1,475Total Value: £96,357.18

Carbon Emissions

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what methodologies her Department uses to measure the UK's contribution to global carbon emissions.

Graham Stuart: The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero uses a range of respected international data to support its evidence base. These sources, including estimates produced by Climate Watch, PRIMAP and the EDGAR database consistently show that UK territorial greenhouse gas emissions account for less than 1% of the annual global total.

Solar Power: Agriculture

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information her Department holds on the percentage of large ground mounted solar installations that are on grade (a) 1 (b) 2 and (c) grade 3a land.

Andrew Bowie: The Department does not hold this information. Large numbers of solar projects are determined by individual local authorities and there is no central record of the land use information set out in their planning applications. The Government seeks large scale ground-mount solar deployment across the UK, looking for development mainly on brownfield, industrial and low and medium grade agricultural land.

Environment Protection: Job Creation

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent steps she has taken with Cabinet colleagues to encourage the creation of green (a) jobs, (b) investment and (c) skills in (i) Preston, (ii) Lancashire, (iii) the North West and (iv) England.

Amanda Solloway: The Government’s net zero target depends on having the right workforce with the right skills in the right locations across the country. Over 80,000 green jobs are currently being supported or are in the pipeline across the UK, as a result of new government policies and spending since November 2020. To tackle emerging and future workforce demands, the Government, working with the Green Jobs Delivery Group, is focused on the creation of a Green Jobs Plan. This plan will provide the actions needed to ensure we have the sufficiently skilled workforce to deliver on the Government’s targets.

Climate Change

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department has taken to help ensure the UK meets its international climate commitments since COP26 in November 2021.

Graham Stuart: The UK reports every two years on progress towards its international targets and on international climate finance to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The UK will report under the Enhanced Transparency Framework, part of the Paris Agreement which comes into force this year. The Government continuously reviews delivery of the UK’s domestic and international climate strategy and commitments at Cabinet level, including through the Domestic and Economic Affairs (Energy, Climate and Net Zero) Committee, chaired by my Rt Hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister.

Housing: Energy

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to support homeowners, in the context of the Government's commitment to reach net zero by 2050.

Graham Stuart: In his speech on 20 September, my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister announced measures which will help avoid imposing significant costs on families. Details have been announced on an additional £6bn of support, from 2025-2028, to help around a million families and hundreds of businesses to cut their energy use. The Government has also increased the grants available for heat pumps to £7,500. Further support is available at: https://helpforhouseholds.campaign.gov.uk/.

Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the compatibility of the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill with the UK's 2050 net zero target.

Graham Stuart: The Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill is consistent with meeting net zero by 2050. Climate Change Committee data shows that the UK will need oil and gas even when it reaches net zero. North Sea Transition Authority analysis shows that domestically produced natural gas is almost four times cleaner than importing liquified natural gas. Even with continued development, oil and gas production is expected to decline by 7% a year and to fall by nearly 90% by 2050. This is faster than the average annual global decline needed to align with UN 1.5°C pathways and the UK's carbon budgets.

Department for Transport

Railways: North of England

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department held discussions with the rail industry before the publication of Network North.

Huw Merriman: Ministers and officials engage regularly with the rail industry, including Network Rail, train operating companies and representative bodies.

Tamar Bridge: Tolls

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will have discussions with local authorities on the cost of tolls for crossing the Tamar Bridge.

Guy Opperman: Department for Transport officials have had, and continue to have regular discussions with officials at both Plymouth City Council and Cornwall Council on a range of transport issues; including the Tamar Crossings. The Crossings are an important local issue, and the Department is aware that at their most recent meeting in December, the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee agreed to a new 9-point plan ('Tamar 50'). This included the establishment of a focus group to ensure that key local stakeholders have a voice and opportunity to be involved with the crossings moving forwards.

Blue Badge Scheme

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2024 to Question 7436 on Blue Badge Scheme, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the adherence to the national eligibility criteria for blue badge applications by local authorities.

Guy Opperman: The Department for Transport issues clear non-statutory guidance to local authorities in England on how to administer the scheme and works closely with local authority administrators to assist them in their interpretation of the guidance, providing a range of communication methods and forums where local authorities can discuss and share their processes with other local authorities. 1.14 million Blue Badges were issued in the year ending March 2023, an increase of 101,000 badges (9.7%) on the previous year.